FROM   THE  LIBRARY  OF 
REV.   LOUIS    FITZGERALD    BENSON.  D.  D. 

BEQUEATHED   BY  HIM  TO 

THE   LIBRARY  OF 

PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


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LETTERS  BY  THE  LATE  FRANCES 
RIDLEY  HAVERGAL 


MORRISON  AND  GIBE,    EDINBURGH, 
PRINTERS  TO   HER   MAJESTY'S   STATIONERY  OFFICE. 


LETTERS 


BY  THE  LATE 


<^- 


FRANCES    RIDLEY    HAVERG 


FED 

EY 

HER 

SISTER 
1^ 

M. 

V. 

G. 

H. 

'  Sheaves  after  sowin;?, 
Sun  after  rain, 
Si^ht  after  mystery, 
Peace  after  pain.' 


■F.  R.  H. 


I 


NEW    YORK 
ANSON  D.  F.  RANDOLPH  &  CO.,  900  BROADWAY 

1885 


PREFACE. 


'  Such  as  we  are  in  word  by  letters  when  we  are  absent, 
such  will  we  be  also  in  deed  when  we  are  present' 
(2  Cor.  X.  11).  So,  only  those  who  saw  St.  Paul  could 
verify  his  touchstone  of  deeds  not  words.  And  so  with 
the  beloved  sister,  whose  letters  are  now  unveiled ;  only 
those  who  saw  her,  could  rightly  estimate  how  truly  her 
deeds  of  loving  faithful  labour  for  her  Master  were  as 
golden  seals  to  her  words.  Even  these  letters  do  not 
fully  reveal  all  the  wonderful  submission  of  her  home- 
life,  or  how  the  hand  that  takes  the  crown,  may  first  be 
pierced  with  many  a  thorn. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  these  letters  were 
written  chiefly  to  near  and  dear  relatives  and  friends,  who 
she  knew  would  sympathize  in  the  details  of  her  service 
for  the  King. 

Especial  thanks  are  due  to  our  eldest  sister,  J.  Miriam 
Crane,  for  her  valuable  help  in  suggesting  and  revising. 

Much  gratitude  is  felt  to  those  correspondents  who 
now  share  their  treasures  with  the  ever-widening  circle 
of  F.  R.  H.'s  readers.  Attention  has  been  given  to 
their  wishes  in  printing  initials  or  names. 


vi  PREFACE. 


Her  letters  from  Switzerland  are  not  included,  being 
already  printed  in  Swiss  LeUe7-s, 

Frequent  reference  will  be  found  to  F.  R.  H.'s 
laborious  editing  of  Havergal's  Psalmody^  containing 
her  own  and  her  father's  tunes,  which  are  now  com- 
bined in  one  volume  with  the  Rev.  C.  B.  Snepp's 
selection  of  hymns,  viz.  The  New  Musical  Edition  of 
Songs  of  Grace  and  Glory  (Nisbet  &  Co). 

May  these  '  Letters  '  cheer  and  guide  some — 

*  Footsteps  weak  and  weary 
Through  the  desert  dreary 
Through  the  valley  of  the  night.' 

Again  her  words  may  be  quoted — 

'  Ye  read  her  story, 
Take  home  the  lesson  with  a  spirit  smile  : 
Darkness  and  mystery  a  little  while, 
Then — light  and  glory, 
And  ministry  mid  saint  and  seraph  band 
And  service  of  high  praise  in  the  Eternal  Land.' 

This  closing  record  of  the  loved  and  loving  one  is 
laid  at  her  Master's  glorious  feet,  praying  that  interwoven 
with  her  Ufe-story,  His  praise  and  glory  may  shine 
forth. 

MARIA  V.  G.  HAVERGAL. 


August  1885. 


INDEX. 


DIV.  PAGB 

I.  EARLY  LETTERS,    FROM    1 852   TO    1 869,  ...         I 

II.   LETTERS   TO   A   YOUNG   CORRESPONDENT,  FROM    1856  TO 

1877, 70 

III.   LETTERS     TO     A     CLERICAL      FRIEND    AND       HIS    WIFE, 

FROM  1870  TO  1875, 94 

IV,  LETTERS   WITHOUT   DATE, I43 

V.  LETTERS,    FROM  1870   TO    1S75,           •           •           •            •           .    168 
VI.  LETTERS,    FROM    1 876   TO    1 879, 243 

APPENDIX, 335 


DIVISION    L 


EARLY  LETTERS,  from  1852  to  1869. 


I 


{To  E.  C.) 

Llandudno,  July  23,  1852. 
How  T  wish  you  and  W.  H.  could  join  us  in  our  North 
Wales  expeditions !  There  are  copper  mines  in  the 
Orme's  Head,  and  as  I  had  an  intense  desire  to  find  myself 
half  a  mile  from  daylight,  no  one  had  any  peace  till  my 
object  of  entering  them  was  gained.  One  evening  when 
the  miners  had  left,  Ellen,  Frank,  and  I  packed  into  a 
little  truck  and  were  pushed  half  a  mile,  till  we  could 
only  see  daylight  as  a  tiny  star,  the  tunnel  being 
as  straight  as  an  arrow.  The  extreme  darkness  and 
perfect  silence  and  the  chilly  air  were  so  different  from 
what  we  had  left,  and  seemed  very  curious.  Then  we 
got  out  of  our  truck  and  followed  our  guide  through  the 
mine — through  such  curious  caverns,  some  full  of  crystals 
and  copper  ore.  We  have  plenty  of  walks,  and  gi-eat 
variety,  but  I  prefer  exploring  alone.  Oh,  the  break- 
neck places  and  precipices  I  get  among.  I  am  almost 
too  venturesome,  but  my  foot  has  never  once  slipped. 
Then,  too,  in  such  wild  places  I  am  quite  alone,  and  I 

A 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1852-1869. 


take  out  my  little  Testament  and  read  and  pray,  where 
no  hmnan  being  besides  myself  is  ever  likely  to  be. 
Last  week  I  could  not  do  this,  for  I  was  very  poorly 
from  over-bathing,  and  now  I  must  not  bathe ;  it  is  very 
annoying,  for  I  like  swimming,  and  enjoy  riding  on  the 
crested  waves  of  the  sea  as  much  as  on  that  wicked 
little  pony.  Frank  went  from  home  to  Oakhampton  last 
week  to  stand  godfather  to  my  new  little  niece  *  Evelyn 
Emily.' 

Now  I  will  tell  you  what  a  capital  book  I  am  reading, 
Hobart  Seymour's  Mornings  with  the  Jesuits  at  Rome. 
The  style  of  the  book  is  most  delightful ;  sit  down  to  it, 
and  you  can  hardly  get  up  again.  I  am  so  fond  of  con- 
troversial works.     When  does go  back  to  school  ? 

That  will  be  the  time  of  trial  for  him ;  if  he  can  stand 
firm  on  the  Rock  while  there ;  if  he  can  resist  the  many 
waves  of  temptation  which  will  beat  upon  him  there, 
then  you  may  be  sure  all  is  right  with  him.  It  is  more 
difficult  to  be  prayerful  at  school  than  anywhere.  When 
I  went  to  Powick  last  year,  I  began  prayerfully  and  care- 
fully; but  gradually,  very  gradually,  I  loosed  my  hold 
upon  the  Saviour,  and  on  looking  back  at  the  end  of  the 
year,  more  was  lost  than  gained.  Oh,  dear  E.,  every 
one  seems  to  get  before  me.  I  think  I  have  found  out 
my  besetting  sin ;  surely  it  is  pride.  The  desire  of  sur- 
passing others  in  everything,  unwillingness  to  seem 
behind — all  is  pride.  I  never  can  be  content  to  be  last. 
But  this  mountain  of  pride  must  be  made  low  before  the 
Lord  can  enter  my  heart.  I  have  learnt  to  read  and 
speak  Welsh  quite  easily.  Some  of  the  words  are 
puzzling,  because  the  initial  letters  are  altered  instead  of 
the  terminals,  e.g.  bara,  mara,  and  fara  all  mean  bread. 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1852-1869. 


but  for  euphony  are  used  interchangeably  in  different 
parts  of  a  sentence.  We  have  excellent  fun  in  bathing 
and  swimming ;  I  quite  alarm  our  old  bathing  woman. 
Our  landlady  Mrs.  G.  is  so  nice  and  ladylike.  I  am 
sure  she  must  be  good,  from  many  little  things,  and  the 
gentle  expression  of  her  countenance.  Many  beautiful 
pieces  of  furniture  show  what  she  used  to  have. 

Now  I  will  tell  you  where  I  am  enthroned.  Not 
among  green  fields,  or  even  where  towering  mountains 
rise,  but  by  the  wild  sea  w  aves ;  and  while  I  am  writing 
this,  they  are  flowing  in  with  softest,  sweetest  music,  not 
like  the  deafening  roar  they  dashed  in  with  a  few  days 
ago.  I  wonder  whether  we  shall  ever  be  together  where 
ancient  ocean  rolls  his  swelling  tide.  What  a  pity  there 
are  no  fairy  slippers  which  would  transport  you  here  with 
a  wish.  How  bright  everything  is  with  you.  I  fear  I 
shall  never  have  such  joy.  Still  I  do  not  give  up  seek- 
ing, but  there  seem  so  many  things  in  the  way.  I  have 
been  thinking  a  great  deal  about  my  confirmation, 
though  it  will  not  be  yet  for  two  years ;  it  seems  such  a 
solemn  vow  which  you  then  take  upon  yourself.  Oh, 
shall  I  have  strength  to  keep  it  ?  it  is  one  of  my  most 
constant  prayers,  that  if  I  am  spared  to  be  confirmed,  I 
may  never  act  as  if  I  had  not  been  so.  I  should  so  like 
to  be  confirmed  with  you.  I  have  not  time  for  much  in 
the  studying  line  here,  and  only  write  a  lesson  in  Ollen- 
dorf  every  day,  and  have  begun  learning  the  Revelation, 
and  am  now  in  the  third  chapter. 


EARL  V  LETTERS,  1852-1^ 


(ToE.  C.) 

Tenby,  1854. 

Our  lodgings  look  out  upon  the  sea,  and  just  opposite 
is  a  picturesque  rocky  island  called  St.  Catherine's,  with 
the  ruins  of  a  church  on  the  top.  There  are  most 
delectable  caverns  in  it,  quite  practicable  at  low  tide, 
with  many  lovely  sea  things,  animal  and  vegetable.  I 
have  met  an  old  Powick  schoolfellow  of  mine  here, — a 
very  nice  girl, — and  we  are  a  good  deal  together.  She 
has  her  own  horse  here, — a  perfect  beauty, — and  her  father 
has  very  kindly  left  another, — a  pretty  creature  (cream 
colour), — for  my  especial  benefit,  so  we  ride  all  over  the 
country  ad  libitum  together.  The  church  is  very  large, 
but  the  pews  are  execrably  uncomfortable.  Last  Sunday 
we  had  a  first-rate  sermon  from  the  Bishop  of  Llandaff, 
not  cram  full  of  long  words  and  Greek  and  Latin,  but 
just  what  every  one  there  could  understand ;  it  was 
altogether  beautiful.  Plainly,  simply,  and  fully  he 
preached  the  gospel,  the  whole  gospel,  and  nothing  but 
the  gospel,  and  his  manner  was  captivating — so  impres- 
sive and  earnest ;  altogether  I  have  rarely  been  so 
pleased. 

The  curate,  tall  and  pale,  seems  as  if  he  would  not 
stay  many  years  longer  in  this  wicked  world ;  he  had 
such  a  peculiarly  sweet  and  holy  expression  of  counte- 
nance, that  I  expected  great  things  from  him.  However, 
I  was  rather  disappointed  with  his  evening  sermon ;  but 
yesterday  he  preached  again,  and  I  found  I  was  not 
mistaken  in  my  opinion  of  him.  His  text  was  2  Cor. 
iii.  6.  You  would  have  thought  him  some  old  experi- 
enced  Christian,  a   sort   of  Charles  Simeon.      It   was 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1S52-1869. 


beautiful,  and  his  heart  seemed  full  of  love,  not  only  to 
his  congregation,  but  to  his  Saviour ;  and  he  seemed  so 
anxious  that  others  should  enjoy  God's  love,  and  know 
how  sweet  it  is.  It  has  often  struck  me,  dear  E.,  that 
Christians  scarcely  think  enough  of  the  exceeding  great 
love  of  God  the  Father.  Not  that  they  express  it,  but 
the  general  tone  seems  to  give  the  impression  that  we 
owe  everything  solely  and  originally  to  Christ,  keeping 
in  the  background  that  it  was  '  the  Father  sent  the  Son 
to  be  the  Saviour,'  that  the  Son  makes  the  Father  love 
us,  and  not  that  the  love  in  the  Father's  heart  made 
Him  send  the  Son. 

Now  Mr.  Smith  (afterwards  Bishop  of  Victoria) 
preached  a  good  deal  on  this  subject,  not  in  any  way 
detracting  from  the  love  and  honour  due  to  our  Saviour, 
but  he  wanted  us  to  see  His  unity  with  the  Father,  and 
love  God  in  Christ  more. 

I  am  so  extremely  delighted  and  surprised  that  another 
Powick  schoolfellow  has  come  to  Tenby.  Did  I  ever 
tell  you  about  Miss  Threlfall,  who  writes  such  exquisite 
poetry?  She  is  here  too,  and  I  am  perfectly  enchanted 
with  her,  my  beau  ideal  of  a  Christian  poetess.  My 
sister  Miriam  is  sketching  a  good  deal,  finishing  her 
outlines  in  the  evenings.  Her  etchings  are  quite 
artistic. 


(^Letter  in  Rhyme.) 

1S55. 
My  very  dear  friend,  I  fear  you  will  be 

Quite  out  of  all  patience  with  poor  little  me. 

For  seeming  neglect,  I  must  forthwith  atone. 

And  meekly  my  humble  repentance  make  known 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1852-1869. 


By  scribbling  at  once  my  epistle  in  rhyme, 

More  akin  to  the  ludicrous  than  the  sublime. 

So  little  I've  been  with  the  Muses  of  late, 

And  so  fearfully  thick  is  becoming  my  pate, 

That  even  a  letter — of  lines  very  few, 

'Tis  a  dubious  case,  if  I  ever  get  through, 

For  want  of  a  rhyme  or  a  suitable  word, 

To  insert  where  a  gap  in  the  metre  is  heard. 

Not  that  the  Muses  will  have  much  to  do 

With  any  epistle  I  scribble  to  you. 

I  shall  not  invoke  their  capricious  assistance, 

And  keep  from  Parnassus  respectable  distance. 

And  only  apply  to  my  own  special  friend, 

The  goddess  of  scribble,  at  whose  shrine  I  bend. 

Both  gladly  and  oft,  for  she  never  refuses 

Her  aid,  like  the  fickle  and  spiteful  old  Muses ! 

A  little  epitome  seems  to  be  due, 

Dear  Janey  (considering  our  friendship),  to  you. 

Of  all  the  events  which  since  I  wrote  last, 

Like  shadows,  though  pleasant  and  bright  ones,  have  past ; 

Well,  first  on  the  Hst,  on  the  thirtieth  of  June 

Our  hearts  with  St.  Nicholas'  bells  were  in  tune  ; 

Both  joyous  and  grateful  indeed  they  might  be. 

For  my  father  (the  jewel !)  came  home  from  the  sea. 

Returned,  yes  he  is,  but  not  as  he  went, 

AVith  dim  seeing  eye  and  his  forces  all  spent ; 

For  sight  hath  been  found  by  the  glorious  Rhine, 

And  his  books  are  reopened — so  long  a  sealed  mine. 

So  after  we  got  up  a  capital  dinner. 

Plum-pudding  and  beef,  at  which  each  little  sinner 

Who  claimed  to  belong  to  St.  Nicholas'  school, 

Came  smiling  and  cheering  till  each  bench  was  full. 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1852-1869. 


And  now  I  transcribe,  without  any  fear, 

'  The  Welcome '  we  sang  my  father  to  cheer. 

SONG  OF  WELCOME  TO  REV.  W.  H.  HAVERGAL. 

O  God,  with  grateful  hearts  we  come 

Thy  goodness  to  adore, 
While  we  our  pastor  welcome  home 

To  England's  happy  shore. 

For  Thy  delivering  love  we  praise, 

And  Thy  restoring  hand  ! 
Oh,  spare  him  yet  for  long,  long  days 

To  this  our  little  band. 

Thy  Spirit's  fulness  on  him  rest, 

Thy  love  his  sunshine  be  ! 
And  may  he  still,  while  doubly  blest, 

A  blessing  be  from  Thee. 

When  the  Chief  Shepherd  shall  appear, 

May  he  receive,  we  pray, 
A  crown  of  glory,  bright  and  clear. 

That  fadeth  not  away. 

Next  day  I  depart  in  infmite  glee, 

My  heart's  dearest  jewel,  my  brother,  to  see, 

With  a  couple  of  sisters  to  take  care  of  me. 

A  perfect  Elysium  Hereford  is, 

A  fairyland  palace  of  pleasure  and  bliss ; 

Like  some  rainbow  winged  fay  every  hour  flies  past, 

Only  one  is  e'er  mournful,  and  that  is  the  last. 

In  this  chalice  of  crystal,  brimful  of  delight, 

Full  many  ingredients  mingled,  but  quite 

The  chief  of  them  all  (after  Frank's  conversation) 

Was  the  music, — enchanting  in  my  estimation, 


8  EARL  V  LETTERS,  1852-1869. 

Beethoven  and  Mendelssohn,  Handel  and  Spohr, 

Mozart  and  Corelli,  with  many  names  more, 

Their  harmony  poured  through  voices  and  fingers, 

Around  me  the  echo  most  sweetly  still  lingers 

More  marvellous  yet  than  a  musical  dream, 

Flowed  for  hours  together  that  glorious  stream ; 

Each  day  as  in  music  so  happily  passed, 

I  fancied  more  beautiful  yet  than  the  last, 

Until  when  I  left  (with  immense  lamentation) 

I  was  just  in  a  state  of  complete  saturation, — 

The  spirit  of  music  seemed  then  to  pervade 

My  very  existence.     That  spirit  has  made 

A  firm  resolution  spring  up  within  me. 

That  a  decent  musician  some  day  /  wi7l  be. 

An  army  of  socks  in  transparent  condition 

With  which  to  combat,  was  my  own  special  mission, 

With  neckties  united  and  with  shirts  to  affright 

My  latent  intentions  my  letters  to  write. 

This  being  the  case,  I  shall  hope  and  expect 

That  you  will  not  accuse  me  of  wilful  neglect, 

Since  darning  and  visiting,  walking  and  all. 

But  music  especially  held  me  in  thrall. 

Some  ten  days  ago,  spite  of  Frank's  hearty  grumbles 

At  losing  his  sisters,  we  came  to  the  Mumbles — 

For  sea  air  is  better  than  potion  or  pill, 

To  cure  or  prevent  every  species  of  ill. 

This  side  Mumbles  Head  is  dreary  indeed, 

No  sands  and  no  shells  and  no  lovely  seaweed. 

No  rocks  which  are  fit  to  sketch  or  to  climb. 

An  expanse  of  grey  mud  which  is  truly  sublime 

At  low  tide  before  you,  and  shingle  at  high. 

Is  the  pleasant  alternative  greeting  your  eye; 


EARL  V  LETTERS,  1852-1869. 


And  being  so  sheltered  the  water  is  quiet, 

And  hasn't  a  notion  of  making  a  riot. 

But  over  the  Head  'tis  a  different  thing, 

There  a  jubilant  chorus  the  waves  ever  sing ; 

They  seem  to  rejoice  in  their  glorious  might, 

Their  snowy  plumes  waving  with  gleeful  delight. 

Full  many  a  trophy  they  bring  from  the  deep, 

Where  forests  untrodden  the  calm  waters  sleep ; 

Fair  flowers  of  ocean  of  tropical  hue. 

Which  glow  on  the  sands  bright  with  clear  briny  dew. 

While  meadow  or  woodland  or  wild  heathy  hill 

Invite  us  to  ramble  and  wander  at  will. 

Church  matters  seem  here  in  a  pitiful  state, 

Which  pains  me  and  grieves  me  here  to  relate. 

Two  ting  tangs  set  up  a  most  pitiful  chime 

For  church,  at  no  very  particular  time. 

You  enter,  and  straight  have  a  very  fair  notion 

Of  the  nearest  approach  to  perpetual  motion. 

The  comma,  the  sole  punctuation  they  use. 

For  the  clergyman  has  not  a  moment  to  lose, — 

He  dashes  away  like  a  torrent  of  water. 

And  finishes  all  in  an  hour  and  a  quarter. 

The  church  has  been  whitewashed,  but  right  long  ago. 

As  the  cracks  and  the  dinginess  amply  doth  show 

About  the  same  time,  that  a  strange  petrifaction 

Confined  the  incumbent  to  mere  Sunday  action. 

So  many  abuses  in  this  place  are  rife. 

The  only  church  things  giving  token  of  life. 

Are  the  singing  within  and  the  nettles  without, 

Both  equally  rampant,  without  any  doubt. 

But  Janey,  dear  friend,  I  must  hasten  away, 

For  dinner  will  never  allow  of  delay , 


10  EARL  Y  LE  TTERS,  1 852- 1 869. 

Entreating  forgiveness  for  silence  again, 
And  imploring  a  letter  ere  long  from  your  pen, 
I  only  will  add  that  I  ever  shall  be 
What  I  now  am,  your  fervently  loving 

Fannie. 


{To  E.  C.) 

St.  Nicholas  Rectory,  Apyil  1854. 
Our  missionary  meetings  will,  I  hope,  be  extra  good 
this  year.  The  Rev.  Pettitt,  of  Tinnevelly,  and  Rev. 
Bernau,  of  British  Guiana,  both  known  veterans,  are  our 
deputation.  Do  coax  Mr.  T.  into  bringing  you  over. 
They  are  warming-pans  these  missionary  meetings ;  one 
cannot  help  getting  some  increase  of  mental  caloric. 
We  had  a  German  Church  missionary  with  us  last  week. 
We  became  acquainted  with  him  in  Dusseldorf,  his  native 
place,  where  he  was  taking  some  rest  after  many  years' 
labour  in  x\byssinia  and  India,  and  he  may  return  next 
autumn.  Mr.  Isenberg  knows  sixteen  languages,  and  has 
preached  and  written  books  in  most  of  them ;  he  is  as 
good  as  he  is  clever.  His  devotion  to  his  work  and  to 
the  great  Master  of  his  work  is  beautiful ;  it  was  quite  a 
treat  to  have  him.  I  have  at  last  hit  on  a  new  device, 
and  earned  something  by  my  brains  for  my  pet  Church 
Missionary  Society.  There  are  some  pocket-books  at 
2S.  6d.  w^hich  advertise  so  many  copies  gratis,  as  prizes 
for  poetical  enigmas  sent  up  for  insertion ;  ^  so  last  spring 
I  wTOte  sixteen  on   different  subjects,  and  now  I  have 

^  '  Charades  and  Enigmas,'  by  F.  R.  H.,  in  Life  Echoes.     Nisbet 
6c  Co. 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1^2-1^69.  ii 

received  six  copies  in  return.  I  reserved  one,  but  sold 
all  the  rest.  I  mean  to  try  again  next  year  {D.  V.).  No 
one  else  got  more  than  four  copies,  so  I  am  well  satisfied 
with  my  success. 

June  3,  1854. 

Last  Sunday  the  confirmation  notice  was  given  out  in 
our  church,  and  this  week  Papa  saw  all  the  candidates 
at  the  Rectory,  before  beginning  the  confirmation  lectures. 
July  17  th  is  the  day  fixed  for  Worcester.  Are  you  at  all 
thinking  about  it,  dearest?  If  you  are,  why  could  we  not 
be  confirmed  together,  and  then  you  could  have  the 
benefit  of  dear  Papa's  nice  lectures  ?  I  am  not  quite 
easy  about  this  important  and  to  me  most  solemn  of  any 
rite.  Perhaps  I  am  more  fearful  than  I  need  to  be. 
But  to  take  that  solemn  vow  on  my  lips,  to  answer  '  I  do  ' 
without  a  really  changed  heart,  seems  dreadful.  I  do — 
oh,  indeed  I  do — desire  to  live  up  to  my  profession,  to  be 
His,  for  time  and  eternity.  But  I  am  learning  to  see 
how  very  weak  I  am,  and  how  easily  Satan  can  conquer 
me  even  when  I  do  strive  against  him.  I  do  believe 
with  my  head  that  Jesus  can,  and  will  give  me  His  grace, 
and  I  do  not  need  to  fear,  yet  somehow  my  heart  seems 
to  be  hard  and  cold  and  not  to  take  it  in.  Oh,  if  we 
were  but  there — where  there  is  no  more  sin  !  Oh  do  not 
forget  to  pray  for  me,  and  don't  ever  doubt  the  love  of 
your  unworthy  friend. 


{To  E.  C.) 

December  1 85 6. 

How  quickly  time  does  go  !     This  is  December  !  and 
our  twentieth  birthday  !     I  hope  God  will  give  me  grace 


12  EARLY  LETTERS,  \^2-i%6g. 

to  use  this  fortnight  as  a  special  season  of  prayer  for 
grace  to  begin  not  only  a  new  year,  but  a  new  teji  years. 
Therefore  I  feel  sure  Satan  will  make  it  a  special  season 
of  temptation ;  indeed,  I  quite  dread  it  from  experience. 
Will  you  pray  for  me,  and  with  me,  dear,  that  my  faith 
may  not  fail  ?  I  have  so  much  to  humble  me  to  the  very 
dust — twenty  sinful  years  !  Yesterday,  Papa  preached  a 
beautiful  sermon  from  Acts  i.  ii.  One  sentence  came 
suddenly  upon  me  (my  attention  had  wandered  for  a 
minute),  *  And  the  Judge  on  that  great  white  throne  will 
be  this  same  Jesus  of  Nazareth.^  Oh  it  made  me  so 
happy,  I  did  not  hear  what  followed,  it  seemed  toy?// 
me.  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  same  that  said,  '  Come  unto 
Me,'  the  same  who  'suffered,  being  tempted,'  He  the 
Judge  /  how  then  could  I  fear  ?  I  wished  the  last  trump 
could  be  sounding  even  then.  How  can  it  be  that  this 
never  struck  me  so  before  ?  But  it  has  passed  away,  like 
the  aurora  on  a  winter  night,  and  all  seems  cold  and  dark 
again ;  only  there  seems  a  faint  quivering  gleam  on  the 
horizon,  remaining,  to  remind  me  of  the  brightness  which 
has  been. 


WHO  SHALL  BE  FIRST? 

Tis  nearly  foity  years  since  our  first  flower 

Awoke  beneath  the  fair  spring's  early  shining ; 

'Tis  more  than  twenty  since  a  wintry  hour 

Filled  up  the  wreath  of  home,  the  sixth  young  bud  entwining. 

That  wreath,  long  woven,  is  unbroken  yet, 

Not  one  of  all  its  opening  buds  hath  faded, 

Not  one  gem  fallen  from  that  coronet ; 

Oh,  '  who  shall  be  the  first '  to  shine  in  light  unshaded  ? 

F.  R.  H. 


EARL  V  LE  TTERS,  1 85 2- 1 869. 


{ToE.F.  S.). 
St.  Nicholas  Rectory,  Worcester,  1857. 

Inasmuch  as  I  have  not  written  for  some  time,  I  mean 
to  give  you  a  good  long  epistle  to  make  up  ;  and  going 
upon  the  supposition  that  you  are  still  a  lover  of  St. 
Nicholas,  shall  inflict  a  circumstantial  account  of  Whit- 
suntide proceedings  on  you. 

Our  children  went  to  St.  Andrew's.  Papa's  text  was 
*  Boys  and  girls  playing  in  the  streets,'  which  of  course 
produced  a  good  many  astonished  looks,  and  caught 
attention, — a  very  pretty  and  interesting  sermon,  the  text 
suggesting — ist,  mercies  to  be  thankful  for;  2nd,  dangers 
to  be  avoided  ;  3rd,  didies  to  be  fulfilled.  The  principal 
banner  was,  '  Dear  Pastor,  go  on  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,' 
beautifully  done  in  leaves.  *  Feed  my  Lambs,'  '  None 
but  Jesus,'  'We  won't  give  up  the  Bible,'  were  also 
conspicuous.  'V.  R.'  and  '  Long  live  the  Queen.'  Tea 
as  usual,  and  rewards.  My  poor  scholar,  dear  Betsy 
Dyke,  would  have  been  one  of  three  singled  out  foi 
pre-eminent  church  behaviour ;  her  father  is  to  have  the 
Bible  which  would  have  been  hers;  little  Emma,  too, 
had  been  marked  first  rate  in  everything.  Poor  little 
Ben  looks  so  cut  up,  it  is  quite  touching  to  see  him ;  he 
is  such  a  good  child.  The  infants  sang  beautifully.  I 
never  saw  Papa  look  more  pleased.  The  others  listened 
most  attentively,  and  the  big  girls  begged  they  might 
sing  again,  *  it  was  so  pretty^  they  said.  Our  curate, 
Mr.  James,  was  very  cool  and  amusing.  At  last  came 
the  cheering.  Mary  Jenkins  gave  out  in  a  clear  National 
School  voice,  '  The  Queen,'  '  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Havergal, 
Miss  H.  and  Miss  Fanny ; '  then  '  Three  cheers  for  Mr, 


14  EARLY  LETTERS,  iSS2-iUg, 

and  Mrs.   Shaw,  and   the   baby ! '     This  produced  first 
laughter,  then  cheers  and  thumping. 

It  was  so  kind  of  Papa,  he  had  my  little  verses  on 
*'  Peace  '^  printed  and  sung.  We  like  our  children  to  be 
loyal. 

PEACE. 

A  CAROL  FOR  THE  CHILDREN  OF  ST.  NICHOLAS  SUNDAY  SCHOOL. 

Children,  come  !  with  grateful  voice 
Let  us  one  and  all  rejoice  : 
War  departs,  and  Peace  descends  ; 
Enemies  are  turned  to  friends. 

War  departs !  each  tuneful  bell 
Pcaleth  forth  its  welcome  knell  : 
Battle  shout  and  cannon's  roar 
Shall  be  heard  again  no  more. 

Peace  descends  on  rainbow  wing  ! 
Thousand  blessings  may  she  bring  ; 
Plenty,  joy,  and  love  to  all, 
Parents,  children,  'great  and  small.' 

Ne'er  again  may  England  know 

What  it  is  to  have  a  foe  ; 

Ever  may  the  olive  green 

Shade  the  throne  of  England's  Queen. 

Children,  come  !  your  voices  raise. 
Chant  the  gladsome  hymn  of  praise ; 
Thanking  Him  who  reigns  above, 
Prince  of  Peace,  and  God  of  Love  ! 

F.  R.  H. 

In  the  evening,  we  went  to  the  teachers'  tea  meeting. 
The  President,  Rev.  John  Davies,  of  St.  Clements,  made 
a  very  nice  speech,  and  finished  up  most  sweetly,  and 
quite  in  character  with  himself  and  his  apostolic  looks. 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1852-1869.  15 

Then  a  useful  speech  from  a  deputation  from  the 
Sunday  School  Institute ;  a  great  deal  of  earnest  home- 
coming talk  and  practical  advice ;  a  very  good  man 
evidently,  and  seemed  to  produce  considerable  effect  on 
the  teachers.  Then  Hymn  237,  to  Farrant.  Then  Rev. 
W.  H.  Havergal  !  Such  a  sweet  speech  and  solid 
withal,  every  one  seemed  pleased,  and  more  clapping  and 
'  Hear,  hear '  than  for  any  one  else.  He  told  us  an 
instance  of  Sunday  school  teachers'  work  bearing  fruit 
after  a  lapse  of  forty  years — so  exquisitely  ;  then  cautioned 
against  two  or  three  particular  local  evils  for  teachers  to 
warn  against.  He  just  took  an  opportunity  of  '  con- 
gratulating '  them  '  on  their  singing.'  To  our  great 
delight,  he  came  out  so  wonderfully  sweet,  like  a  first-rate 
Thursday  evening  sermon,  and  showed  a  beautiful  gleam 
of  his  spirituality.  I  do  so  wish  Mr.  Shaw  had  heard 
him  then,  it  was  so  lovely.  Rev.  B.  Davis  and  W. 
Wright  were  called,  but  sensibly  refused  to  speak,  time 
being  up.  A  few  nice  words  from  the  President,  then 
'May  the  grace,'  etc.,  then  the  Benediction.  After 
which  (9.40)  every  one  went  off  in  apparently  a  satisfied 
state  of  mind,  and  even  Maria  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  had  been  a  very  profitable  evening.  My  father 
gave  the  Irish  Society  a  capital  introduction  last  Sunday 
in  the  sermon ;  it  will  not  be  his  fault  if  collections  are 
small. 

I  am  going  to  Germany  with  Auguste,  when  school 
breaks  up,  in  two  or  three  weeks ;  my  next  to  you  will  be 
from  France.  The  Prince  of  Wales  is  going  to  stay  three 
months  at  Konigswinter,  only  three  miles  from  Ober- 
casscl,  and  the  Countess  zur  Lippe  is  a  relative  of  Prince 
Albert's  and  he  used  to  spend  his  vacations  there  when 


i6  EARLY  LETTERS,  1852-1869. 

at  the  University  of  Bonn  ;  so  now  the  Prince  is  sure  to 
go  there,  and  as  I  am  going  to  spend  a  month  there, 
perhaps  I  shall  be  under  the  same  roof  as  the  heir- 
apparent  !  Something  like  the  comet's  crossing  the 
plane  of  the  earth's  orbit,  is  it  not  ?  as  they  said,  '  if  they 
had  only  been  a  month  forwarder,  there  would  have  been 
a  coUision ' ! 

has  been  desperately  affectionate  to  me  of  late, 

and  more  earnest  and  easy  to  talk  with  about  better 
things,  but  I  don't  quite  understand  her.  Her  religion 
(she  seems  to  have  a  good  deal  of  it  too)  does  not 
seem  a  very  spiritual  sort ;  it  is  more  the  '  I  put  my 
trust  in  God's  mercy '  sort  of  thing,  and  savours  a  little 
of  the  Maurice  and  Kingsley  notions  of  God's  universal 
love,  etc.  And  yet  she  is  earnest,  and  thinks  seriously 
about  giving  up  dancing,  etc.,  this  winter.  Why  is  it, 
Nelly  (and  am  I  right  ?),  I  always  feel  a  sort  of  suspicious 
dread  of  there  being  something  wrong  about  those  who 
only  talk  about  '  God's  mercy,'  *  trust  in  Providence,' 
etc.  ?  If  they  speak  of  Jesus,  it  seems  a  sort  of  key-note, 
and  they  seem  tuned  to  it,  and  you  feel  you  trust  them 
more  than  the  other  sort.  I  can't  get  over  the  feeling, 
and  yet  it  seems  almost  exalting  the  Son  above  the 
Father ;  but  it  always  gives  me  a  sort  of  thrill  if  His 
name  is  mentioned,  which  the  other  expressions  do  not 
and  cannot. 

Papa  preached  from  Micah  v.  3.  Very  many  at  the 
communion.  Mr.  James  gave  us  (p.m.)  a  pretty  little 
commentary,  simple  and  useful,  on  Luke  ii.  6-20.  The 
chief  pecuharity  of  his  sermons  is  originality ;  he  does 
not  say  just  what  you  fancy  is  coming,  but  brings  out 
thoughts  and  lessons  which  are  very  new  and  striking. 


EARLY  LETTERS,  l?>S2-i?>6^.  17 

He  is  too  short  and  hurried  in  manner,  and  his  sentences 
are  rather  abrupt.  He  always  calls  things  by  their  right 
names,  and  does  not  at  all  mince  matters  in  teUing  folks 
the  truth,  e.g.  '  there  is  no  such  thing  in  existence  as  "  a 
good  sort  of  person  on  the  whole  "  ; '  or  again,  mention- 
ing something  in  Proverbs,  '  it  is  not  only  not  tolerated 
by  God,  ?iot  disagreeable  to  Him — it  is  an  abomination  to 
Him.'  I  like  Mr.  James  very  much  ;  he  seems  in  high 
favour  with  the  better  class  and  with  our  poor.  Widow 
Sumian  thinks,  '  he  do  preach  wonderful  sermons,  only 
he  don't  stop  long  enough  over  them  ;  I  told  him  of  it, 
and  he  promised  he'd  try  and  read  them  a  bit  slower ' ! 


(To  E,  P.  S.) 

Spa,  October  3,  1857. 

I  am  now"  almost  myself  again,  and  hope  to  go  for  a 
little  walk  to-day ;  but  it  is  very  strange  to  think  that 
only  on  September  2  ist,  I  was  in  real  danger,  the  erysipelas 
having  gone  to  my  head ;  it  seems  like  a  new  life  given 
me,  and  I  do  hope  that  He  who  has  restored  it  will  give 
me  grace  to  use  it  for  Him.  So  you  see,  while  you  are 
all  thankful  for  our  dear  father's  life,  I  have  a  double 
cause  for  gratitude,  my  own  as  well  as  his.  It  is  so 
delightful  to  see  him  walking  about  the  room  again,  in 
his  own  old  way ;  it  really  seems  almost  a  miracle  after 
what  he  has  gone  through. 

I  have  had  such  a  jolly  summer  till  these  last  four  or 
five  weeks,  and  managed  to  get  as  thoroughly  'ver- 
deutscht,'  i.e.  Germanized,  in  manners  and  customs  as  if 
I  belonged  to  them. 

B 


i8  EARLY  LETTERS,  i?>S2-i^^9. 

Homey  October  i6. — When  will  my  letter  be  done,  I 
wonder !  Headaches  always  seemed  to  come  on  just 
when  I  wanted  to  write,  and  last  Friday  I  left  Spa  for 
home.  Dear  mother  travelled  with  me  part  of  the  way. 
I  had  a  quiet  journey,  barring  a  great  Sabbath  argument 
with  two  young  Frenchmen,  who  made  themselves  agree- 
able. On  getting  to  Ostend,  an  English  barrister,  with 
whose  ancient  mother,  Papa  had  become  acquainted  at 
Grafrath,  met  me.  He  at  once  informed  me  that  it  was 
such  a  stormy  night  that  no  one  in  their  senses  would 
cross  without  absolute  necessity.  Then  up  walked  Mr. 
H.,  who  told  me  that  his  wife  had  just  made  up  beds 
for  me,  and  the  lady  expected  with  me.  Mrs.  H.,  a  tall, 
dashing-looking  person,  with  seven  children,  received 
me  in  a  hearty  EngHsh  sort  of  way,  and  told  me  to  make 
myself  comfortable  till  the  sea  was  fit  to  be  ventured 
upon. 

All  this  I  should  have  enjoyed,  and  thought  immense 
fun,  but  felt  so  very  poorly  that  I  almost  regretted 
staying,  under  the  apprehension  that  I  might  be  laid  up 
again  there.  A  tiptop-looking  lady,  very  pretty,  was  in 
to  tea,  and  introduced  as  the  'Countess  Riidiger;'  she 
was  the  wife  of  that  Russian  General  Riidiger,  who  was 
killed  in  the  war. 

I  went  on  by  the  Dover  boat,  and  had  a  beautifully 
smooth  passage. 

The  number  of  railway  and  steamboat  acquaintances 
I  have  made  is  something  amusing.  I  always  picked  up 
somebody.  Once  I  fell  desperately  in  love  with  a  very 
sweet  young  lady,  speaking  almost  all  European  languages 
with  equal  fluency;  and,  on  exchanging  names  and 
autographs,  I  found  she  was  the  Princess  Leonille  Galit- 


EARL  V  LETTERS,  1852-1869.  19 

zin,  of  the  great  Russian  family.  I  looked  amazed,  and 
said,  *  You  see  /  have  no  titles.'  '  Oh/  said  she,  '  what 
are  titles  ?  only  empty  names.  T  do  not  care  for  them, 
and  should  like  you  none  the  better  for  having  one.' 

I  left  Papa  marvellously  better;  he  is  going  to  Grafrath 
by  very  easy  stages.  He  was  so  delighted  with  a  piano, 
sat  down  and  played  a  few  minutes,  and  then  seemed 
quite  overpowered,  it  was  so  touching. 

He  is  so  beautiful  in  illness  or  trouble,  people  don't 
half  know  him  who  haye  not  seen  him  at  such  times; 
talk  about  sweet  memoirs,  etc.,  no  memoir  that  ever  was 
written  would  be  good  enough  for  him  ! 

I  have  missed  two  weddings  at  Obercassel,  was 
engaged  to  be  bridesmaid  at  each.  Fancy,  the  two 
groomsmen  lead  the  bride,  and  the  two  bridesmaids  lead 
the  bridegroom  up  the  church  !     Is  it  not  funny  ? 


(To  tJie  same.) 

December  1857, 

My  dear  old  almshouse  folks  are  so  affectionate,  it  is 
a  great  consolation  to  me  that  there  cannot  be  much 
cupboard  love  in  the  question;  it  smites  me  rather, 
because  I  feel  it  more  than  I  deserve,  when  I  remember 
sometimes  going  round  carelessly  and  hurriedly.  They 
do  say  such  nice  things  about  dear  Papa,  etc. 

We  went  to  the  cathedral  on  Christmas  Eve — a  very 
nice  service.  I  should  like  to  copy  a  piece  out  of  George 
Herbert  for  Mr.  S.,  about  his  enjoyment  of  cathedral 
services. 

Thank  you  for  remembering  my  birthday  :  it  was  such 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1852-1869. 


an  unexpected  pleasure  to  have  a  bit  of  your  writing. 
People  seemed  determined  to  set  me  up  in  the  poetry 
line.  Miriam  gave  me  Campbell  and  Coleridge,  J.  H. 
E.  sent  me  a  magnificent  drawing-room  table  volume,  all 
gilding  and  scarlet  and  illumination,  Christmas  with  the 
Poets,  and  mother  gave  me  a  very  nice  copy  of  my  dearly- 
beloved  George  Herbert.  Greatly  to  my  liking — these 
said  books ! 

And,  Nelly  dear,  I  do  think  my  best  Friend  sent  me 
some  of  His  birthday  gifts ;  I  had  pleaded  very  hard  for 
a  blessing,  and  it  was  answered.  I  couldn't  help  trusting 
and  loving  Him,  and  could  not  help  saying,  '  I  am  my 
Beloved's,  and  my  Beloved  is  mine.'  You  see  Jer. 
xxxi.  3  seemed  sent  me;  I  must  admit  that  He  had 
'  drawn '  me,  because  I  felt  it,  and  it  was  with  '  loving- 
kindness'  too,  then  that  ^therefore'  showed  me  that  He 
must  have  '  loved '  me  '  with  an  everlasting  love,'  because 
He  simply  said  it ;  for,  being  convinced  of  the  effect, 
how  could  I  make  Him  a  liar  and  disbelieve  the  cause  ? 
Wasn't  it  kind  of  Him  to  speak  to  me,  Nelly  dear  ?  And 
then  I  felt  so  comforted  about  what  is  always  my  greatest 
trouble — my  spiritual  future  ;  He  took  away  all  my  un- 
believing fear  that  I  should  not  get  any  nearer  to  Him 
in  coming  years,  that  He  would  suffer  me  to  fall  away 
entirely,  that  I  should  after  all  be  a  castaway.  He 
helped  me  there,  and  so  I  laid  all  that  burden  on  Him. 
I'm  not  so  happy  now,  I  am  so  horribly  wicked;  but 
'  Christ  Jesus,  made  unto  us  sa?ictification,^  gives  me 
hope. 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1852-1869. 


i^A  City  Rector's  Letter  to  his  Parishioners}} 

November  9,  1859. 
My  dear  parishioners  and  friends, 

While  heartily  I  greet  you, 
I  must  regret  to  say  that  now 
To  duty's  stern  behest  I  bow, 
And  to  a  small  parochial  row 

I  feel  constrained  to  treat  you. 

Allow  me  to  remind  you  first. 

That  some  few  years  ago, 
Our  worthy  friend  John  Wheeley  Lea, 
(To  which  Esquire  should  added  be) 
The  schools  erected,  which  you  see 

When  through  the  Butts  you  go. 

An  eligible  mistress  found. 

And  all  things  else  in  train, 
We  trusted  that  the  poor  would  prize 
The  boon  aright,  while  kind  supplies 
From  ready  friends  would  soon  arrive  ; 

We  trusted — but  in  vain  ! 

The  children  came  and  brought  their  pence, 

But  pennies  won't  supply 
The  coals  to  fill  those  Tudor  grates, 
Brooms,  dusters,  door-mats,  books  and  slates, 
Insurance,  wear  and  tear  and  rates, 

And  salaries  so  high. 


Though  filthy  lucre  be  a  snare, 
We  can't  quite  do  without  it ; 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1852- ] 


And  as  this  evil  still  is  rife, 
My  precious  darling  little  wife 
Has  nearly  sacrificed  her  Hfe, 
In  teasing  you  about  it. 

For  each  two  pounds  collected,  she 

One  pair  of  boots  wears  out. 
For  every  five  a  dress  ;  and  then, 
'Tis  true,  though  sad,  for  every  ten 
She  goes  and  gets  laid  up  again, 

For  perhaps  a  month  about. 

Then,  when  at  last  the  work  is  done 

And  each  subscription  paid, 
Your  Rector  finds  himself — but  nay, 
I  spare  you — of  myself  I  say 
As  little  as  I  duly  may. 

Not  thus  the  cause  I  aid. 

My  friends,  it  ought  not  so  to  be. 

Your  duty  is  most  clear  \ 
I  pray  let  i860  bring 
Sweet  charity  on  golden  wing. 
In  every  bosom  may  she  nestle. 
With  every  world-bound  spirit  wrestle. 

And  make  a  glad  New  Year ! 

F.  R.  H. 

35  Russell  Square,  London,  1862. 

I  had  so  looked  forward  to  this  visit  to  London ;  but 
the  first  week  has  brought  such  deep  sorrow,  and  I  am 
in  mourning  for  my  dear  Cousin  Bessie's,  unexpected 
but   most   peacefully-happy  death  ;   and  now  our  dear 


[852-1869.  23 


Aunt  Stratton  has  died  also.  Of  course  this  holds  me 
back  from  so  much  which  I  had  anticipated ;  and  just  as 
I  was  intending  to  visit  my  dear  brother  Henry,  I  was 
taken  ill.  I  have  had  very  little  actual  suffering,  but 
excessive  weakness,  and  so  a  holding  back  from  my  own 
plans  and  pleasures  and  duties,  which  I  see  to  be  a  most 
wise  dispensation  for  me.  Somehow  times  of  check  and 
disappointment,  generally  seem  singularly  helpful  to  me. 
I  think  I  have  been  enabled  to  rest  more  simply  on  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  His  finished  work,  and  have  found 
peace  in  that,  instead  of  the  old  distraction  and  almost 
despair  in  trying  to  trace  out  the  yet  scarcely-visible 
work  within  me.  God  has  been  very  gracious  to  me, — 
oh,  so  undeservedly;  for  only  He  knows  how  utterly 
unworthy  I  am  of  all  His  benefits.  Oh,  if  I  might  only 
cling  always  closely  to  Him,  and  never  wander  from 
Him  again ! 

A  few  days  ago  I  was  much  depressed, — some  of  my 

plans  had  failed,  and had  grievously  disappointed 

all  the  warm  hopes  I  thought  I  had  reason  to  cherish  of 
her.  Then  came  a  storm  of  discoveries  of  evil  in  my 
motives  and  actions,  seemingly  all  fair.  I  seemed  utterly 
helpless  and  weak, — bodily,  mentally,  and  spiritually, — 
and  utterly,  oh  utterly  vile  and  sinful  in  my  own  eyes  ! 
How  much  more  then  in  God's  sight !  I  could  do 
nothing ;  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  cast  myself  just 
as  I  was  upon  the  Saviour.  I  did  so,  and  brought  Him 
all  my  burden,  even  the  heaviest — my  deep  sinfulness. 
Instantly  '  there  was  a  great  calm.'  I  cannot  express 
it  otherwise.  It  gave  me  the  strongest  impression  of 
His  own  merciful,  immediate,  and  personal  intervention 
which  I  have  ever  had.     I  was  confident  He  had  heard, 


24  EARLY  LETTERS,  \%l2-\^(i^, 

and,  while  I  was  yet  speaking,  answered.     For  all  the 

care  and  sorrow  about ,  and  other  things,  seemed 

taken  out  of  my  hands  and  safely  placed  in  His ;  *  the 
sin  has  been  atoned  for,  the  sinfulness  shall  be  subdued, 
and  He  is  our  peace  now  and  for  ever,'  was  my  feeUng 
rather  than  my  thought.  I  could  not  stay  to  analyze 
the  strange  flow  of  quiet  gladness  and  sense  of  relief;  it 
was  too  plainly  His  gift  just  that  moment  when  I  so 
needed  it,  and  what  could  I  do  but  thank  Him  for  such 
kindness  ?  Vivid  consciousness  of  this  kind  seldom  lasts 
long;  but  Heb.  xiii.  8  is  very  sweet,  and  though  I 
change  with  every  passing  hour.  He  is  '  the  same.' 

I  suppose  it  is  because  He  knows  how  weak  my  faith 
is,  that  in  every  trial  He  always  permits  me  as  yet  to  see 
the  '  need  be.'  It  must  seem  the  merest  trifle  to  others, 
but  it  is  a  great  trial  to  me  to  feel  such  lack  of  strength 
that  many  hours  a  day,  especially  early  ones,  which  I 
would  so  like  to  spend  in  many  pursuits  for  which  I  have 
no  other  time,  must  be  spent  in  entire  rest,  or  the  very 
slightest  occupation. 

But  I  knotv  I  need  this  check,  and  am  thankful,  I 
hope,  that  I  am  stronger  than  a  time  back. 


{ToE.  C.) 

February  1862. 

.  .  .  '  He  knoweth  the  way  that  I  take ;  and  when  He 
hath  tried  me,  I  shall  come  forth  as  gold.'  And  He  has 
known  all  along  by  what  way  you  would  be  taken.  .  .  . 
Oh  E.,  there  is  great  comfort  in  the  mere  thought  of  this 
wonderful  knowledge  of  our  God ;  then  add  to  it  that 


EARLY  LETTERS,  i^S2~i?>6g.  25 

He  who  knoweth  careth  too,  and  He  who  careth  loveth 
with  a  love  that  passeth  knowledge.  He  has  indeed 
tried  you,  dearest,  and  the  trial  time  is  still  present  wuth 
you ;  but  '  zvhefi '  (then  it  is  not  meant  to  last  always — 
there  is  something  beyond)  '  when  He  hath  tried  me,' — 
when  all  is  over,  and  the  storms  are  quieted,  and  the 
wounded  heart  is  healing  under  His  touch, — then  you 
'  shall  come  forth  as  gold,'  very  precious  in  His  sight, 
impressed  with  His  own  refining  mark,  purified  and  pre- 
pared for  His  work  here,  and  His  own  safe  treasury 
above,  when  that  work  is  done.  .  .  .  To  think  that  your 
sweet  mother  is  on  the  very  threshold  of  eternal  rest  and 
joy  !  A  hush  comes  over  me  at  the  very  thought  of  one 
so  loved,  being  so  near  Christ's  own  immediate  presence. 
Is  it  not  as  if  the  veil  were  growing  half  transparent 
which  hangs  between  life  and  its  dreams,  and  eternal  life 
and  its  realities  ?  Oh  try,  dearest,  even  in  your  deep 
sorrow,  to  lift  a  note  of  thanksgiving  for  the  '  sure  and 
certain  hope,'  the  utter  confidence  which  all  must  have 
in  her  abundant  entrance.  It  is  so  wonderful  to  think  of 
what  we  cannot  conceive,  that  lies  so  close  before  her. 
And  then,  dearest,  to  think  that  all  your  sorrow  is  but 
one  upward  step  for  you  towards  the  same  bright  goal ! 

December  13,  1863. 
The  eve  of  my  birthday.  I  have  been  thinking  why 
this  year  has  been  marked  by  such  little  advancement, 
while  God's  dealings  with  me  have  been  so  favourable 
to  it;  and  I  trust  that  the  resolution  which  I  have  just 
prayerfully  made  may  change  the  story  of  my  next  year's 
histor)'.  I  find  that  when  so  late  in  rising  a.m.  as  to 
have  inadequate  time  for  prayer  and  my  Bible,  I  cannot 


26  EARLY  LETTERS,  iS>S2-iZ6g, 

really  replace  it  later  in  the  day — my  mind  seems  un- 
hinged. I  asked  Papa's  advice ;  which  was,  that  con- 
sidering the  great  importance  which  rest,  and  especially 
sleep  is  to  me,  and  the  medical  opinion  about  it,  I  ought 
not  to  make  a  point  of  rousing  myself  earlier,  but  rather 
to  make  a  strong  effort  to  overcome  the  temptation  to 
wandering  thought,  and  hurried  formalism  later  in  the 
morning.  I  tried  to  do  so,  and  while  at  home  partly 
succeeded.  But  now  I  am  teaching  my  nieces  again,  I 
fail  entirely,  and  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  I 
ought,  in  this  matter,  '  to  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God,' 
and  leave  health  to  His  care  meanwhile.  So,  God  help- 
ing me,  I  resolve  henceforth,  at  whatever  bodily  sacrifice, 
to  rise  sufficiently  early  to  leave /^^/Z  time  for  reading  His 
word,  and  prayer  without  hurry ;  and  if  I  can  in  no 
other  way  manage  it,  to  go  to  bed  at  nine  p.m.  for  extra 
rest  instead  of  morning  sleep.  And  oh,  may  the  Lord 
give  me  such  increase  of  strength  and  grace,  that  bodily 
weakness  and  Aveariness  may  seem  a  little  thing  to  me  ! 

March  5,  1864. 

...  I  consider  what  you  call  my  father's  Churchism 
to  consist  of — 

T.  Evangelical  Doctrine,  i.e.  Christ  and  His  Atone- 
ment are  above  and  before  all  things  :  Conversion, 
whether  taking  place  in  Baptism  or  subsequently,  sudden 
or  imperceptibly  gradual,  to  be  an  absolute  necessity ; 
that  good  works  follow  out  of  and  are  not  any  means 
of  justification,  which  is  only  by  faith  in  Christ;  that 
outward  forms  and  ceremonies  have  no  merit  or  virtue 
in  themselves  whatever. 

2.  Loyal  Church  Practice,  i.e.  that  all  things  should 


EARLY  LETTERS,  i^2-i^(>ci.  27 

be  done  decently  and  in  order,  to  uphold  the  Church  in 
eveiy  way,  to  hold  fast  her  Articles  and  Liturg}',  inter- 
preting each  by  the  other. 

Now  I  think  a  *  High '  confession  of  faith  would  be 
rather  different  to  this.  They  would  make  the  '  Church  ' 
their  great  meeting-point,  rather  than  the  Atonement 
of  Christ.  They  would  say  that  regenerating  grace  is 
always  given  in  Baptism,  and  that  all  we  have  to  do  is  to 
take  heed  not  to  fall  from  it.  (I'm  quite  sure  I  never 
had  any  to  fall  from  !)  They  make  some  sort  of  subtle 
virtue  to  be  in  the  performance  of  rites,  and  so  there  is 
a  sort  of  half-acknowledged  trust  placed  in  them.  They 
would  think  as  much  of  gaining  a  dissenter  to  join  the 
Church  as  of  winning  a  soul  from  darkness  to  light.  As 
far  as  my  experience  goes,  they  have  more  devoutness 
and  less  devotion,  more  fear  and  less  love,  more  feeling 
of  duty  than  of  desire,  laying  more  stress  on  Phil.  ii.  12 
than  ver.  13,  and  in  practice  working  upon  the  intellect  and 
imagination  rather  than  aiming  at  the  heart,  skirmishing 
among  the  outworks  rather  than  assaulting  the  citadel. 

August  7,  1864. 
I  ought  not  to  let  this  summer  pass  without  some 
slight  record  of  God's  goodness  to  me.  All  the  spring 
was  cold  and  dark  to  me,  and  the  thanks  which  should 
have  gone  up  for  my  exemption  (the  only  one  in  the 
house)  from  illness  were  few  and  faint.  I  longed  that 
God  would  speak  to  me,  and  show  me  the  reality  of  His 
love  and  power.  He  answered  singularly  by  showing  me 
His  power  and  His  actual  presence  in  working  upon 
others.  First  He  permitted  me  to  gain  the  confidence 
of ,  and  to  be,  by  conversation  and  correspondence, 


28  EARLY  LETTERS,  1^2- 


some  little  help  to  her.  And  so,  in  April  and  May,  I 
watched  His  hand  leading  her  week  by  week  out  of 

darkness  into  marvellous  light.     Then  I  heard  of 's 

conversion,  and  saw  for  myself  in  her,  such  evidence  of 
His  real  power  as  left  no  room  for  doubt.  And  in  the 
midst  of  my  own  dimness,  it  was  great  encouragement 
to  see  what  the  Lord  could  do  and  was  doing.  Then, 
having  for  months  watched,  and  waited,  and  prayed  for 
any  signs  of  good  resulting  from  my  evening  class,  S.  D. 
seemed  touched,  awakened,  and  in  earnest,  feeling  a 
deep  dissatisfaction  with  herself,  which  her  outwardly 
blameless  hfe  had  hitherto  kept  off.  Then  F.  C,  after 
my  many  vain  attempts  to  get  any  response  beyond 
poHte  assent,  seemed  reached  at  last  by  a  little  note,  and 
earnest  tears  took  the  place  of  the  easy  smile.  So  I  felt 
that  God  was  answering  my  prayer,  only  not  in  my  way. 

In  June,  having  promised  to  read  French  with ,  I 

gave  her  a  hint  of  my  longings  and  disappointment. 
She  took  it  up  so  that  I  told  her  all.  She  made  my  case 
the  subject  of  her  most  fervent  prayer,  and  wrote  me  two 
or  three  most  beautiful  letters.  I  begged  her  to  be  a 
candid  friend,  having  gone  so  far  with  her,  for  I  wanted 
no  '  smooth  things.'  And  she  warned  me  of  the  spirit  of 
worldliness.  It  was  so,  I  knew  and  felt.  How  could  I 
be  delivered  from  the  net  ?  Even  prayer  seemed  power- 
less against  this  paralyzation.  Thus  I  went  home,  pray- 
ing my  holidays  might  bring  blessing  somehow. 

Hannah  and  Janey  and  Andrienne  V.  were  coming 
for  a  visit.  A  special  impulse  seemed  to  come  upon 
me  to  pray  for  H.,  and  that  her  visit  might  be  blessed. 
She  came  to  Shareshill  reluctantly,  and  with  a  special 
determination  not    to   like  me,  and   inclination   to   be 


EARLY  LETTERS,  i%S2-\%e9.  29 

jealous  of  me.  She  baffled  me,  and  knew  it ;  no 
response  whatever  could  I  get.  I  think  God  poured 
out  upon  me  the  spirit  of  grace  and  of  supplication  for 
her,  so  much  so  that  I  almost  lost  sight  of  my  own 
difficulties  and  depression  in  anxiety  for  her.  July  2nd, 
Saturday  evening,  she  broke  the  ice,  by  merely  saying, 
'You  are  what  I  am  not'  *  Then  why  not?  '  This  led 
to  a  very  serious  talk  the  next  evening ;  and  she  cried, 
but  said,  '  I  just  feel  that  I  don't  care  enough  about  it 
to  be  worth  while  to  seek.'  I  spoke  of  danger  and  of 
God's  promise  to  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  07ily 
ask.  All  through  the  following  week,  she  sought  truly 
and  earnestly.  By  Maria's  advice,  though  reluctantly  at 
first,  I  read  a  little  with  her  each  day,  and  soon  was 
most  thankful  that  I  had  been  led  to  do  so.  On 
Saturday,  9th,  I  gave  her  Mark  x.  46-52,  and  the  first 
light  seemed  to  break  in.  That  evening  we  sat  on  the 
stile  behind  the  churchyard  close  to  our  gardens ;  we 
read  Rom.  iii.,  dwelling  long  on  verse  2  2  and  the  doc- 
trine of  imputed  righteousness.  And  God  gave  her  faith 
to  receive  it; — 'I  do  believe  this,  but  is  that  alll  Can 
it  be  all  ?  is  nothing  more  necessary  ? '  I  assured  her 
it  must  be  all,  because  God  had  said  it.  *  Isn't  it  too 
good  to  be  true  ? '  was  the  next.  But  she  believed  the 
testimony  concerning  His  Son,  and  was  at  rest.  And 
the  next  day,  July  nth,  she  sealed  her  faith  in  obedi- 
ence to  her  Saviour's  command,  and  came  with  us  for 
the  first  time  in  her  life  to  His  table. 

God  seemed  to  help  me  wonderfully  to  read  and  say 
the  right  things;  I  felt  that  He  did  so.  But  while 
talking  to  her,  the  feeling  grew  stronger  daily,  that  what 
was  true  for  her  was  true  also  for  me,  especially  when 


30  EARLY  LETTERS,  i^S2-i?>eg. 

we  thought  over  Rom.  hi.  22.  I  do  not  think  I  ever 
before  ventured  to  really  believe  that  Christ's  righteous- 
ness was  imputed  even  to  me ;  but  I  knew,  I  was  sure, 
that  I  believed  in  Jesus,  and  so  there  seemed  no  alter- 
native but  to  accept  the  glorious  belief  that  '  the 
righteousness  of  God '  being  '  upon  all  and  unto  all 
them  that  believe '  was  upon  me  too.  It  used  to  seem 
*  too  good  to  be  true '  for  me ;  but  how  could  I  doubt 
God's  word  ?  Then  a  great  tide  of  sorrow  came  over 
me  for  having  been  so  disbelieving;  it  seemed  so  very 
wrong  to  have  doubted,  that  it  threw  other  phases  of 
sinfulness  into  comparative  shade.  And  so  that 
loth  of  July  was  one  of  the  happiest  days  I  ever  had ; 
my  own  more  than  renewed  faith,  and  my  excessive 
delight  at  God's  marvellous  answer  to  me  about  dear  H. 
I  never  saw  such  rapid  work  before;  it  was  just  as  if 
God  would  show  me  what  He  could  do,  and  what  He 
was  ready  to  do,  and  silence  my  doubts  and  distrust  for 
ever.  Oh  that  it  were  for  ever  !  Why  ever  does  one 
doubt !  It  seems  so  abominable  after  all  He  has  said 
and  done.  I  am  so  restful  now ;  it  is  very  sweet  to 
yield  oneself  up  to  the  belief  that  Christ  has  saved  me. 
Yet  I  do  not  seem  to  realize  it  intensely  and  vividly. 
(I  wonder  whether  that  will  ever  come  !)  Still  I  do  not 
doubt  as  formerly.  Not  that  I  feel  any  better  or  holier, 
much  as  I  long  to  be  so ;  but  Christ  Jesus  came  to  save 
sinners,  and  as  such  I  come  to  Him.  My  desire  to  be 
nearer  to  God,  and  unreservedly  His,  has  deepened  and 
strengthened. 

This  month  at  Llandrillo  has  been  very  refreshing  to 
me,  and  intercourse  with  Mrs.  G.  very  helpful.  I  think 
prayer  has  been  doubly  answered,  for  she  speaks  of  my 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1852-1869. 


being  a  comfort  and  refreshment  to  her  (which  seems 
strange,  for  I  cannot  say  much  to  her).  Rehgion  is  so 
utterly  real,  so  everything  with  her,  and  that  strengthens 
my  own  faith.  And  some  things  she  has  said  throw  a 
new  and  pleasant  light  on  thoughts  which  often  dis- 
tressed me.  I  hope  and  pray  that  when  I  return  to 
O.,  the  hosts  of  other  things,  both  duties  and  pleasures, 
may  not  choke  the  word.  I  want  to  live  more  decidedly 
to  my  Master,  and  not  to  let  go  the  confidence  which 
He  has  given  me,  and  which,  feeble  as  it  is,  and  easily 
shaken,  is  very  precious  to  me.     '  Ebenezer.' 


{To  R  T.H.) 

Oakhampton,  September  27,  1864. 

I  am  so  glad  you  are  better ;  it  was  so  dismal  to  know 
of  your  illness.  Do  stay  at  Breay  as  long  as  you  can, 
and  rest. 

We  were  delighted  with  the  Birmingham  Festival. 
Beethoven's  Mount  of  Olives  went  splendidly.  That 
solo  and  chorus,  '  Prize  your  Redeemer's  goodness,'  is 
one  of  the  most  glorious  things  I  ever  heard,  and  Titiens 
sang  it  wonderfully.  Miriam  said  it  was  better  than 
many  sermons  are.  I  do  not  know  anything  more  spiritual 
in  instrumental  music  than  '  The  Overture  to  the  Hymn 
of  Praise,'  which  we  also  heard  with  its  grand  theme — 


'All      that   hath   life   and  breath,  praise         the   Lord,' 
which  idea,  so  continually  recurring  in  all  possible  forms, 


32  EARLY  LETTERS,  i^2-\?,e9. 

Mendelssohn  seems  determined  to  keep  before  one.  I 
am  haunted  still  by  the  strange  undulating  swell ;  and 
that  Allegretto  f  movement,  especially  that  part  where 
there  is  a  sort  of  conflict  between  a  clear,  bright,  praiseful 
theme  in  steady,  simple  chords,  and  an  under-current 
interrupting  and  then  overflowing  it,  of  that  mysteriously 
pathetic  minor,  so  restlessly  rising  and  falling.  The 
whole  thing  was  to  me  a  sort  of  musical  picture  of  the 
inner  life,  and  this  part  means  Rom.  vii.  24,  25. 

How  very  different  it  is  listening  to  oratorios,  and 
taking  part  in  them  !  Especially  do  I  enjoy  singing 
in  Handel's  choruses :  one  cannot  but  yield  oneself  to 
his  broad,  glad  sunshine,  pouring  so  brightly,  yet  so 
solemnly,  over  the  mountain  grandeur  of  his  almost 
inspired  chords.  I  do  so  delight  in  singing  them  at  our 
Philharmonic.  Never  mind  organ  or  conductor  or  your 
next  neighbour  ;  let  the  great  ocean  of  sound  flow  in 
upon  your  soul,  till  you  feel  that  it  has  absorbed  your 
individual  being  into  itself.  Meanwhile  sing  away,  be- 
cause you  cannot  help  it, — because  it  does  you  good ; 
and,  whatever  the  words  may  be,  the  notes  will  be  the 
happy  and  involuntary  expression  of  thanks  to  Him,  who 
giveth  us  richly  all  things  to  enjoy,  and  especially  the 
great  and  indescribable  enjoyment  of  music.  And  then 
as  we  rise  to  a  glorious  climax,  '  Now  with  o?ie  voice,' 
says  our  conductor,  and  truly  that  is  a  very  great  and 
noble  one,  and  the  concluding  rush  of  sound  is  like  a 
dazzling  flood  of  light,  pouring  itself  forth  only  to  end 
so  soon  in  silence.  How  quickly  music  passes  and  is 
gone.     How  one  might  moralize  ! 


£J  RL  Y  LE  TTERS,  1 85 2  1 869.  33 


{To  M.  V.  G.  H.) 

1864. 

...  I  have  never  answered  what  you  said  some  time 
back.  Yes,  dear,  if  I  had  my  choice,  I  should  hke  to 
be  a  '  Christian  poetess,'  but  I  do  not  feel  I  have 
abiUty  enough  ever  to  turn  this  line  to  much  account. 
I  feel  as  if  music  were  a  stronger  talent,  though  in 
neither  am  I  doing  anything  serious.  Most  of  all  would 
I  like  to  be  your  ideal, — a  wmner  of  souls.  But  as  no 
special  path  is  open  for  me,  I  feel  I  can  only  and  simply 
take  any  opportunity  of  using  any  talent  which  opens  to 
me.  I  am  not  working  now  at  composition  ;  that  door 
is  certainly  not  now  open,  and  perhaps  never  will  be ; 
cleverer  persons  than  I  have  never  been  heard  of;  and 
I  do  not  now  care  about  getting  into  print,  unless  it 
should  ever  be  made  clear  as  my  right  way.  I  do  not 
think  of  much  beyond  my  present  daily  duties,  teaching 
my  nieces,  etc. ;  or  when  at  home,  taking  the  various 
opportunities  that  arise  of  usefulness. 

November  13,  1864.  —  'I  his  autumn  has  not  been 
unhappy  on  the  whole ;  God  has  been  very  gracious  to 
me,  in  preserving  me  from  the  sort  of  reaction  I  so 
dreaded,  after  the  vivid  feeling  of  last  summer.  The 
bright  side  has  been,  that  I  have  seldom  felt  prayer  so 
much  a  refreshment  and  privilege,  or  been  disposed  to 
spend  so  much  time  in  it ;  that  the  Bible,  (especially  my 
evening  text)  has  often  been  very  sweet  to  me ;  that  in 
two  or  three  special  conflicts  in  matters  of  conscience, 
the  victory  has  been  given  me  where  before  I  had  failed ; 
that  my  desire  to  work  for  Christ  has  been  a  little 
stronger.     When  feeling  overdone  and  languid,  I  have 

c 


34  EARL  V  LETTERS,  1852-1869. 

appropriated  Isa.  1.  10,  just  to  trust  and  cling  where  I 
cannot  see. 

The  dark  side  has  been,  not  living  up  to  my  light,  and 
missing  many  opportunities  of  doing  good,  and  not  at 
all  earnest  in  intercession,  that  in  one  struggle  between 
a  doubtful  right  or  wrong,  I  yielded  and  gave  the  possible 
wrong  the  benefit  of  the  doubt  instead  of  the  probable 
right  j  that  I  have  not  been  truly  watching  for  the  souls 
of  my  own  charge,  but  have  taken  it  too  easy. 

I  am  more  than  ever  conscious  of  the  inward 
antagonism  of  the  old  nature  and  the  new. 

I  want  distinct  guidance  as  to  my  path.  I  cannot 
help  thinking  I  ought  to  be  at  home  on  dear  mother's 
account,  to  help  her.  I  hope  it  will  somehow  be  decided 
for  me.  I  want  to  make  the  most  of  my  life,  and  to  do 
the  best  with  it ;  but  here  I  feel  my  desires  and  motives 
need  much  purifying ;  for  even  where  all  sounds  fair  in 
words,  an  element  of  self,  of  lurking  pride  may  be 
detected.  Oh,  that  my  Lord  would  indeed  purify  me 
and  make  me  white,  at  any  cost. 


{To  the  late  Miss  Pollock.) 

Llandrillo,  Conway,  1865. 
I  enclose  you  a  few  of  my  verses.  I  know  they  are 
worth  little  in  themselves,  but  I  thought  you  might 
kindly  like  to  have  them  as  a  remembrance  of  one 
who  feels  very  thankful  for  having  had  the  pleasure  and 
privilege  of  meeting  you.  It  does  not  need  a  long 
acquaintance,  to  love  those  whom  we*feel  and  know  are 
loving  the   same   dear  Saviour.     Love  is   the  happiest 


EARLY  LETTERS,  i^2-\^6<).  35 

feeling  there  is  on  earth,  and  how  much  more  of  it  we 
have,  whom  He  has  taught  to  love  one  another  for  His 
sake.  Do  not  you  think  that  the  '  new  commandment ' 
is  a  singularly  kind  and  considerate  one  ?  He  knew 
how  our  hearts  yearn  for  affection.  He  knows  our  deep 
need  of  its  soothing,  gladdening  influence,  and  so  He 
made  it  not  a  mere  permission,  but  an  absolute 
command.  Surely  this  is  an  instance  that  His 
commandments  are  not  grievous.  We  stay  here  (Z>.  V.) 
till  Friday,  and  then  finish  our  journey  to  Oakhampton. 
I  feel  I  ought  to  begin  my  work  there,  with  new  and 
holier  vigour  after  all  the  refreshment  and  enjoyment  of 
my  long  Celbridge  visit,  and  all  the  pleasant  Christian 
intercourse  which  I  have  had.  One  ought  to  be  the 
better  and  stronger  for  it,  but  the  enemy  always  seems 
ready  with  some  new  device,  and  one  never  feels  so 
weak  as  just  when  one  hoped  to  feel  stronger.  Yet  '  in 
the  Lord  Jehovah  is  everlasting  strength,'  and  it  is  very 
nice  to  know  and  rest  upon  that.  Good-bye,  dearest 
Miss  Pollock.  May  you  be  very  abundantly  blessed  in 
your  own  soul  and  in  your  work.     Ruth  ii.  12. 

May  1865. — Is  there  such  a  thing  as  God  seeing  that 
a  seeming  work  for  Him,  is  not  done  purely  unto  Him 
alone,  and  so  sending  a  sort  of  earthly  reward  on  the 
spot,  and  withholding  His  acceptance  of  the  service, 
because  of  its  sullied  and  imperfect  motive  ?  For  the 
thing  beyond  any  other  temporal  gift  I  most  value  is 
affection.  I  feel  as  if  I  had  a  perfect  greed  of  love. 
Now  whenever  I  make  special  effort  to  win  a  soul  to 
Christ,  or  to  comfort  and  help  on  some  weak  or  suffering 
Christian  (which  last  I  fancy  is  my  best,  as  it  certainly  is 


36  EARL  V  LETTERS,  1852-1869. 

my  best-loved  form  of  work),  I  am  almost  invariably 
repaid  by  an  amount  of  gratitude  I  had  no  reason  to 
expect.  The  temptation  follows  strong  and  subtle,  to 
work  for  this  pleasant  payment,  instead  of  purely  for  my 
Master's  sake.  To  be  valued  and  loved  by  any  one — no 
one  knows  its  deliciousness  to  me.  Does  God  give  me 
this  as  a  *  verily  they  have  their  reward  ' !  I  long  to 
think  it  is  rather  His  kind  and  very  gracious  encourage- 
ment to  me,  and  perhaps  I  am  wronging  His  goodness 
in  the  other  thought !  Were  my  heart  purer  and  my  eye 
truly  '  single,'  how  I  should  rejoice  in  it  as  a  token  of 
His  love.  Sometimes  when  walking  to  Yarron,  praying 
as  I  go,  that  the  Lord  would  give  me  a  word  in  season 
for  each,  and  laying  their  cases  before  Him,  in  comes 
the  thought  like  a  burglar  on  my  peace,  '  How  glad  I 
am  they  have  taken  a  fancy  to  vie ;^  or  what  a  secret 
gratification  it  is  when  dear  old  Nanna  says  she  '  would 
rather  hear  me  talk  than  any  one ' — how  horrid  it  is  for 
such  pride  and  selfishness  to  mingle  in  even  one's 
holiest  efforts.  So  now  I  oftener  pray,  '  Lord,  lead  her 
to  Thyself ;  whether  I  am  privileged  to  be  Thy  instrument 
or  not,  grant  that  So-and-so's  visit  or  words  may  be 
blessed.' 

Nothing  has  more  deeply  impressed  upon  me  the 
wickedness  and  deceitfulness  of  my  heart,  than  my  perfect 
powerlessness  in  this  form  of  temptation  of  yearning  to 
be  loved,  and  laying  myself  out  to  win  love ;  my  only 
resource  is  to  bring  again  and  again  this  impure  heart  of 
mine  to  the  great  Searcher,  and  ask  Him  to  pardon  and 
purify  my  motives. 

October  1865. — Another  summer  of  great  mercy  and 


EARLY  LETTERS,  i^S2-i?>eq.  37 


loving-kindness,  though  far  from  unmingled  with  sorrow, 
has  passed.  The  shadows  which  were  wisely  sent  upon  my 
pleasant  summer  sunshine  have  passed  now.  Dear,  very 
dear  ones,  have  been  brought  back  from  very  near  death, 
and  the  only  remaining  sorrow  is  partly  of  my  own 
making,  and  moreover  a  cloud  with  a  very  silver  lining. 
On  the  other  hand,  I  have  not  for  a  long  while  had  so 
much  enjoyment  in  many  ways  as  during  my  visit  to  my 
sister  Ellen.  Kindness  and  affection  have  been  lavished 
upon  me ;  I  have  been  as  it  were  acknoivledged  by  Chris- 
tian friends  in  a  way  I  have  not  met  with  before,  and 
altogether  I  have  had  great  cause  for  deep  gratitude. 
On  going  to  Ireland,  I  prayed  specially  that  I  might  be  a 
blessing  to  Mary  F.,  J.  H.  S.,  and  A.  M.  S.  ;  and  I  hope 
the  Lord  made  me  to  some  extent  the  means  of 
strengthening  them,  especially  in  reading  Scripture  with 
them  every  day.  M.  F.  was  in  sore  trouble  and  dark- 
ness ;  the  Lord  sent  a  glorious  victory  in  what  had 
seemed  a  hopeless  struggle,  not  so  much  by  my  words  as 
by  agreement  in  prayer,  and  she  believed  God  had  sent 
me  on  purpose  for  her  to  Ireland,  and  kept  me  there,  too, 
fifteen  weeks  instead  of  six.  And  on  the  7th  of  September^ 
when  a  heavy  cloud  had  returned  on  her  path,  she 
received  the  Communion  with  Maria  and  me.  I  prayed 
long  and  intensely  afterwards  with  her,  and  while  we 
were  yet  speaking,  He  heard  and  sent  forth  His  light  and 
joy  in  renewed  fulness.  I  had  a  very  sweet  conscious- 
ness and  belief  that  He  was  really  near,  really  with  us, 
and  pleaded  His  own  promises  with  unusual  confidence. 
I  knew  the  Lord  Jesus  must  be  there,  because  He  said 
He  would  be  when  two  or  three  were  together  in  His 
name. 


38  EARLY  LETTERS,  i^2-i?>e9. 

The  characteristic  of  this  time  was  finding  more  and 
more  that  God  heareth  prayer,  and  specially  intercessory 
prayer.  For  another,  for  whom  I  have  been  watching 
and  praying  for  more  than  two  years,  has  seen  and 
accepted  the  atonement  of  the  Cross.  The  simple  belief 
in  the  death  of  Christ  for  our  sins,  has  wrought  what 
argument  never  could  have  done,  and  she  wants  no  more 
speculative  books,  and  is  willing  to  be  a  babe  and  learn 
of  Christ.  I  take  this  as  a  special  mercy  sent  just  now, 
because  I  have  been  very  much  tried.  This  trial 
touched  me  in  more  than  one  most  sensitive  point,  and  I 
have  not  often  felt  anything  so  bitterly  and  keenly.  I 
tried  to  accept  it  as  a  needful  cross  ;  it  was  a  very  heavy 
one  while  it  lasted,  and  I  do  shrink  greatly  from  its 
possible  renewal.  I  am  so  utterly  powerless  in  the 
matter,  nothing  short  of  God's  own  grace  can  avail  here. 
The  benefit  of  the  trial  certainly  was  that  it  drove  me 
to  more  earnest  and  continual  prayer  than  ever  before, 
and  it  is  strange  but  true,  that  intercessory  prayer  is 
generally  a  channel  of  personal  blessing.  It  will  be  all 
the  greater  triumph  of  divine  grace  when  the  Lord  Him- 
self subdues  their  hearts.  I  shall  be  glad  to  remember 
that  it  was  just  after  this  heavy  cloud  the  sunshine  broke 

forth  on  my  efforts  for .    Perhaps  God  was  preparing 

me  for   this   joy  by  the   sorrow.     Anyhow   I   ought  to 
thank  God  and  take  courage,  and  think  I  do. 

Oakhampton,  1865. 

Dearest   Marie, — You   see  w^e   are   safe   here,  and 

though  of  course  tired,  I  am  not  really  any  the  worse,  but 

wonderfully  better.     I  imagine  Mr.  Crane  is  very  glad  to 

have  us  back  after  his  lonely  evenings.     Connie  looks  as 


EARL  Y  LETTERS,  1852-1! 


blooming  as  possible  again.  Tell  M.  F.  that  Oakhampton 
looks  lovely  in  its  early  autumn  array,  and  that  Worcester- 
shire looks  such  a  garden  after  County  Kildare  ! 

My  poor  Parkes  died  two  days  ago,  so  I  was  just 
too  late.  She  was  perfectly  happy  in  death,  and  I  feel 
sure  was  trusting  simply  and  joyfully  in  Christ.  I  want 
to  thank  you,  Marie  dear,  for  first  putting  it  into  my 
head  to  visit  those  rows  of  cottages.  She  is  a  kind  of 
first-fruits  among  them.  God  grant  that  many  more 
eyes  there  may  be  opened  to  see  His  salvation. 

has  just  called,  very  ecstatic  at  having  me  back,  of 

course,  and  as  eager  as  ever  to  get  walks  and  talks  with 
me.  She  is  just  a  case  in  which  one  more  especially 
feels  the  need  of  a  wisdom  not  our  own.  I  wish  very 
much  I  could  get  her  to  read  the  Bible  with  me,  but  fear 
lest  the  proposal  might  do  more  harm  than  good.  It 
has  occurred  to  me  that  (as  she  knows  a  little  Greek) 
she  might  not  object  to  read  the  Greek  Testament  with 
me,  and  so  arrive  at  the  object  that  way — gilding  the  pill 
if  pill  it  is  !  How  I  wish  her  parents  had  not  been 
so  vain  of  her  cleverness  and  taste  in  books ;  it  might 
save  much  mischief  if  she  were  not  allowed  to  read 
so  indiscriminately  all  the  essays  and  reviews  (three- 
fourths  of  them  sceptical)  that  she  can  lay  her  hands 
upon. 


{To  E.  C.) 

Bonn,  January  10,  1S66. 
Alay  this  year  be  one  of  pressing  onward,  of  clinging 
more  simply  and  more  closely  to  our  Saviour,  of  brighter 
faith  and  warmer  love  for  both  of  us.     And  specially  do 


40  EARL  V  LETTERS,  1852-1869. 

I  pray  that  it  may  be  a  year  of  showing  forth  His  praise 
by  hp  and  life.  Faint  as  our  hght  may  be,  if  He  has 
kindled  it  at  all,  it  must  shine  for  Him,  and  this  is  to  me 
one  of  the  strongest  incentives  to  careful  walking.  Only 
I  find  so  often,  so  wearily,  how  self  creeps  in,  and  lays 
its  defiling  hand  on  our  holiest  desires.  Oh,  to  be  freed 
from  the  dominion  of  self  in  its  most  subtle  disguises. 
One  cannot  track  out  all  its  winding  underhandedness, 
and  here  one  specially  feels  what  an  unspeakable,  restful 
comfort  it  is  to  have  '  such  an  High  Priest,'  all-knowing, 
all-seeing ;  because  we  never  could  confess  all  our  sin, 
we  do  not  know  a  tithe  of  it,  and  much  of  what  we  do 
dimly  know  of  it,  is  so  subtle  that  we  could  not  fully 
confess  it  in  any  language.  So  we  come,  even  in  our 
blindness  and  ignorance,  and  ask  to  be  cleansed  from 
our  secret  faults,  from  the  imperfectly-understood  sinful- 
ness of  our  whole  being,  and  His  blood  cleanseth  from 
all  sin.  I  think  I  feel  and  realize  this  sort  of  thing 
more  and  more,  and  one's  utter  helplessness ;  '  We  know 
not  what  we  should  pray  for  as  we  ought '  is  not  a  mere 
generality  to  me,  but  a  deeply  and  painfully  learnt 
experience.  Only  then,  this  throw^s  up  into  more 
glorious  light,  'He  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession 
for  us.' 

Oakham PTON,  August  20,  1866. 

...   I  have  had  an  unusual  amount  of  headache.     I 
think  I  shall  have  more  ultimate  benefit  from  Ilfracombe 

than  I  found  at  the  time.     No,  do  not  accuse of 

laying  the  foundation  thereof.  My  headaches  and  languid 
feelings  are  the  remote  results  of  a  lang,  long  spell  of 
trouble,  which  made  all  last   spring   and  most  of  the 


EARLY  LETTERS,  \^2-iS>6g.  4I 

winter,  perhaps  the  most  weary  and  sorrowful  time  for 
such  a  continuance  which  I  ever  passed. 

During  my  week  with  you  I  had  a  most  pleasant 
feeling  and  belief,  that  God  was  giving  me  the  refresh- 
ment   I  needed  with  His  own  hand,  and  I  took  it  as 

such,  and  rejoiced  in  it.     But  when  I  got  to it  was 

only  natural  that  I  should  feel  some  reaction,  after  so 
many  months  of  sorrowful  tension 

There  are  not  many  things  that  have  made  me  more 
vividly  conscious  of  the  antagonism  of  the  old  and  the 
new  nature,  as  the  pouring  out  of  such  prayers  as  may 
involve  suffering  in  their  answers.  There  is  a  shrinking, 
and  shuddering,  and  wincing :  one  trembles  at  the 
possible  form  the  answer  may  take,  and  is  almost  ready 
to  forego  the  desired  spiritual  blessing  for  very  cowardice  ; 
but  yet  one  prays  on,  and  desire  is  stronger  than  fear, 
heaven  is  stronger  than  earth,  and  one  pleads  and 
wrestles  to  be  'purified  and  made  white,'  even  if  these 
are  to  be  inseparable  from  the  following  words,  *  and 
tried' : — 'that  I  may  know  Him  and  the  power  of  His 
resurrection,'  even  if  this  be  linked  with  '  the  fellowship 
of  His  sufferings.' 

August  26,  1866.  —  I  have  passed  a  remarkably 
happy  Easter,  spent  with  the  Boddingtons ;  the  outward 
help  of  the  services,  and  association  with  A.  and  E. 
seemed  great.  During  April,  May,  and  June,  verily  the 
Lord  led  me  by  a  way  I  knew  not,  and  never  expected. 
I  was  baffled,  wearied,  tried,  disappointed  as  I  never 
dreamt  I  could  be.  I  don't  know  that  I  have  ri^er  felt 
anything  so  keenly  as  the    strange   trial  of  these  three 


42  EARLY  LETTERS,  i^Si-iZdg. 

months,  which  seemed  to  deepen  every  day,  and  pressed 
upon  ahiiost  every  hour.  It  was  altogether  indeed  not 
joyous  but  grievous,  yet  I  am  quite  clear  it  was  good  for 
me.  It  struck  at  pride  in  more  phases  than  one,  and  laid 
bare  to  me  a  ramification  of  self-seeking  which  I  had 
not  noticed  in  myself.  It  was  a  trial  which  must  be 
borne  alone — one  in  which  I  felt  so  helpless,  so  stricken, 
that  I  felt  it  sent  me  more  than  ever  to  Jesus,  and  it  was 
comfort  to  tell  Him  all.  I  cannot  say  I  had  any  very 
vivid  consciousness  of  present  blessing  in  it,  or  any  such 
spiritual  sunshine  as  at  all  dispersed  the  clouds  of 
sorrow.  I  think  the  Lord  meafit  me  to  feel  it,  to  be 
really  tried  by  it.  I  did  plead  most  earnestly  that 
ultimate  blessing  might  result,  that  it  might  afterward 
yield  peaceable  fruits. 

July  brought  a  different  story,  and  a  new  song  was 
put  in  my  mouth,  even  thanksgiving.  God  Himself 
seemed  to  give  me  a  time  of  thorough  refreshment  at 
Luccombe,  and  then  a  summer  work  for  Him.  And 
again,  I  must  set  my  seal  to  the  truth  of  '  He  that 
watereth  shall  be  watered.'  Nothing  seems  to  impress 
God's  truths  so  freshly  on  my  own  heart,  as  earnest 
setting  of  them  before  another ;  nothing  seems  so  to 
quicken  me  in  His  way.     And  so  in  my  quiet  walks  with 

dear at  Lynton  and  Ilfracombe,  and  with  only  our 

Bibles,  I  was  enabled  to  guide  her  out  of  a  very 
labyrinth  of  error  (from  reading  Colenso  and  Essays 
and  Reviews)^  and  the  consequent  gloom  and  unhinging 
of  her  faith  and  peace — truly  it  was  Christ's  recall  to 
safe  anchorage.  Was  this  a  remote  effect  of  my  spring 
troubles — an  '  afterward '  of  peaceable  fruit  ? 

I  think  my  joy  and  confidence  rose  higher  than  ever 


EARLY  LETl'ERS,  i%S^-i%69.  43 

before,  and  I  even  lost  the  fear  of  death,  a  misgiving  or 
quiver  always  having  seemed  to  underlie  the  thought  of 
t/iaf.  One  night,  during  long  and  fervent  prayer,  two 
things  struck  me — ist,  the  words  '  I  will  be  glad  in  the 
Lord ' — the  expression  of  will  in  the  matter,  why  should 
not  I  rouse  my  will  to  the  same,  because  further  it  is 
*glad  /;/  the  Lord' — not  in  anything  to  do  with  self, 
only  in  Him,  and  what  /  am,  sinful  and  weak,  alters  not 
the  manifold  causes  of  gladness  in  Him.  2nd,  I  began 
to  consider  God's  entire  satisfaction  in  His  Son  and  in 
His  works,  and  the  thought  followed.  If  God  Himself  is 
satisfied  with  Christ  and  His  work,  why  should  not  I 
be  ?  And  then  I  felt  I  was  satisfied  with  Him  and  with 
His  work,  and  thereout  grew  satisfaction  and  peace. 
And  the  lurking  fear  of  death  seemed  to  melt  away  in 
this  new  confidence.  I  know  not  how  it  might  be  if  I 
were  put  to  the  test,  but  my  impression  is  if  I  were  told 
that  this  hour,  nay  even  this  five  minutes,  were  to  be  my 
last,  I  should  not  fear,  but  be  very  thankful  and  glad  to 
die.  For  I  never  feared  death  physically,  and  how  can 
one  fear  it  spiritually  while  clinging  to  Christ.  I  know 
His  words  are  true.  May  He  enable  me  ever  to  stay 
upon  Him,  and  to  follow  Him  faithfully. 

Again  I  must  record  less  earnestness,  less  disposition 
to  prayer  and  love  of  the  "Word,  which  so  gladdened  me 
all  the  summer.  Who  would  guess  that  my  mind  on  a 
Sacramental  Sunday  morning  had  been  continually  and 
repeatedly  distracted,  by  thoughts  about  music,  and 
arrangements  of  dress  !  Verily  I  abhor  myself!  How 
much  there  is  in  me  to  be  '  purified  and  made  white ' 
only  He  knows.  My  special  prayer  is  that  He  would 
deepen  and  ripen  His  work  in  me.     I  see  that   even 


44  EARLY  LETTERS,  1852-1869. 

working  for  God  is  not,  by  far,  the  whole  of  living  to 
Him — I  want  to  be  as  well  as  do,  then  would  the  work- 
ing, the  ministering,  be  true  and  pure  work  for  the 
Master  and  for  Him  only. 

I  was  very  happy  some  of  the  time  in  Germany.  But 
what  I  know  of  spiritual  happiness  generally,  resolves 
itself  into  enjoyment  of  prayer.  I  seldom  or  never  feel 
vividly ;  I  do  not  know  what  '  manifestations  of  Christ 
are,  I  cannot  say  '  I  have  seen  Jesus.'  I  have  absolutely 
nothing  of  that  sort  to  ground  any  confidence  upon. 
The  best  and  happiest  times  I  know  are  when  I  do  seem 
able  to  pour  out  my  heart  before  God,  when  I  'come 
boldly  unto  the  throne  of  grace.'  But  am  I  never  to  get 
beyond  this  ?  I  speak  to  Jesus,  and  often  feel  very  sure 
He  hears  me,  but  I  never  seem  to  hear  Him  speak  to 
me.  '  This  one  thing  have  I  desired  of  the  Lord,'  and 
oh  so  long  and  so  often.  '  I  will  manifest  myself  to 
Him.'     He  has  promised,  and  I  plead  it. 


{To  M.  F.) 

1866. 

...  I  want  to  send  you  Psalm  Ixxvii.  9,  10.  Are  you 
saying,  '  Hath  God  forgotten  to  be  gracious  ? '  then 
answer  yourself  as  David  did,  and  '  remember  the  years 
of  the  right  hand  of  the  Most  High.'  There  are  other 
instances  of  our  God's  eternity  and  unchangeableness 
being  taken  as  special  comfort  in  dark  seasons,  e.g.  Ps. 
cii.  23-27  ;  Lam.  v.  15,  19 ;  Hab.  i.  12  ;  Isa.  xl.  27,  28. 
It  may  be  fanciful,  but  the  expression  U/ie years,''  strikes 
me  thus.     They  seem  a  link  between  His  infinity  and 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1852-1869.  45 

our  finity  or  finiteness.  They  stretch  over  in  a  wide 
straight  vista  of  succession,  having  no  end  to  their 
number ;  and  yet  again,  it  is  not  an  abstract  and  ungrasp- 
able  thought  like  '  eternity,'  for  *  years  '  are  necessarily 
divisible  into  days,  aye,  and  minutes,  and  so  seem  better 
to  meet  the  need  of  a  sorrowful  spirit  which  wants  a 
Father's  momentary  kindness  and  care.  Not  '  random,' 
you  see  !  But  it  is  *  the  years  of  the  right  hand. '  '  For 
that  He  is  strong  in  power,  not  one  failelh ' — and  if  that 
be  true  of  stars  and  sparrows,  is  it  less  so  of  those  for 
whom  He  '  spared  not  His  Son  '  ?  Look  at  His  '  right 
hand,'  His  illimitable  power,  and  rejoice,  and  be  glad  of 
if,  for  it  is  all  for  you,  not  against  you.  It  cannot  be  against 
you,  since  it  has  been  '  against  the  Shepherd '  for  you. 
Now  add  the  eternity  to  the  powder,  the  'years '  to  the  '  right 
hand,'  and  then  say,  '  If  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against 
us?' Rom.  viii.  31.  Of  whom?  '  The  Most  High.'  Higher 
than  your  fears,  high  in  light  above  your  darkness,  higher 
than  the  enemy.  If  He  is  Most  High,  most  high  too  in 
wisdom,  in  goodness,  in  love,  can  any  flood  of  tempta- 
tion, any  clouds  of  darkness,  rise  higher  than  the  Rock, 
than  the  Sun?     And  now  connect  this  wdth  Isa.  Ivii.  15. 

Then  go  on  to  Ps.  Ixxvii.  11,  and  remember  His 
works,  not  o?ily  creation,  but  see  the  connection  in  which 
it  stands  in  Ps.  cxi.  3.  Or  rather  begin  at  verse  2,  and 
see  how  '  the  w^orks  of  the  Lord '  are  traced  on  through 
the  Psalm  till  they  culminate  in  verses  9  and  10. 

As  a  little  corollary  to  the  works,  do  not  forget  to 
include  the  w^ork  He  did  for  you,  on  August  20th,  and 
Sept.  7th. 

I  must  tell  you  about .     Her  harp  is  no  longer 

unstrung,  though  the  strings  are  struck  with  a  trembling 


46  EARLY  LETTERS,  \^^2-\%^^. 

hand,  and  the  melody  of  praise  is  built  upon  solemn  and 
sorrowful  chords  of  deep  penitence.  That  was  given  me 
as  my  summer's  work  this  year — not  that  I  was  '  sufficient,' 
/had  often  tried  before,  but  now  it  was  '  time'  for  Him 
'to  put  to  His  hand.'  A  series  of  rather  remarkable  and 
most  unexpected  things  led  to  our  going  to  the  sea,  alone 
together,  and  I  asked  '  this  thing '  of  the  Lord.  She 
seemed  to  feel  solemnly  that  it  was  a  '  Now,' for  her; 
and  her  return  after  several  years  of  wandering  after 
will-o'-the-wisps  of  reason,  and  'biblical  criticism'  and 
*  oppositions  of  science,'  all  leading  her  farther  away 
from  the  '  True  and  Only  Light ' — has  been  full  and  true 
and  deeply  penitent.  I  distrusted  argument ;  I  felt  the 
heart  was  more  than  the  head,  and  that  the  way  to  a 
'  sound  mind '  was  most  surely  found,  by  going  direct  to 
the  Cross  of  Christ.  And  the  felt  power  of  that  is  more 
cogent  than  any  logic,  and  so  it  proved.  She  has 
returned  to  her  rest.  I  was  so  happy  about  it,  as  I  need 
not  tell  you. 


{To  E.  C.) 

June  22,  1866. 

I  have  lately  taken  to  turn  to  the  character  of  God  for 
comfort.  Would  it  be  like  Him  the  tender  Father,  to 
hold  aloof  from  a  weary,  stuggling,  sorrowing  child,  and 
only  be  really  near  to  those  to  v.'hom  He  has  given 
power  of  prayer  and  enjoyment.  For  if  the  power  and 
the  access  and  the  peace  are  all  His  gifts  (and  who  dare 
say  they  are  not),  it  would  be  simply  unfair  if  He 
gave  most  love  and  care,  to  those  who  have  them,  or 
when  they  have  them.     Therefore  the  only  consistent 


EARLY  LETTERS,  i?>S2-\%69.  47 

conclusion  is,  that  He  is  really  just  as  near,  just  as  loving 
when  we  do  not  see  or  feel  anything  that  we  want  to  do, 
as  when  we  do.  Also,  that  as  His  sovereignty  and  His 
love  are  co-equal  and  universal,  they  must  be  applying 
here;  and  He  only  withholds  the  enjoyment  and  conscious 
progress  we  long  for,  because  He  knows  best  what  will 
really  ripen  and  further  us  most.  And  do  we  not  wrong 
His  tenderness,  by  our  distress  at  not  being  able  to  pray 
as  we  would  when  we  feel  weak  and  ill  ?  Does  He  not 
know,  not  only  that  we  would  pray  if  we  could,  but 
also  how  much  we  are  losing  as  to  enjoyment  by  not 
feeling  able,  and  so  I  do  think  sympathizing  with  us  in 
this  distress  as  much  as  in  any  other  ? 

I  send  you  a  very  simple  text  which  has  been  to  me 
the  last  fortnight,  as  a  sort  of  golden  key  to  many 
others,  or  a  sort  of  seal  upon  them,  '  I  have  given  them 
Thy  Word.'  It  never  struck  me  so  before,  the  Father's 
Word  and  the  Saviour's  gift.  Now  I  apply  this  first  to 
the  word  of  reconciliation,  the  Father's  message  of 
salvation  through  Christ ;  then  to  the  whole  Bible, 
which  this  seems  to  make  ten  times  dearer — (oh.  we 
should  never  have  had  this  precious  gift  but  for  Christ's 
coming);  and  lastly  to  every  nice  text,  every  sweet  promise 
which  comes  into  one's  mind,  it  seems  one's  claim  to 
appropriate  it. 


(To  E.  C.) 

AiUiuini  1866. 

I  will  tell  you  how  I  take  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  9,  '  Look  upon 
tlie  face  of  Thine  anointed,'  linking  it  with  '  Look  Thou 
upon  me'  (Ps.  cxix.    132).      It  seems  to  me  to  imply 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1852-1869. 


our  union  with  Christ  as  the  Head  of  every  member, 
even  the  least  and  lowest.  We  come  to  the  Throne  of 
grace,  not  only  hand  in  hand  with,  not  only  hidden  under 
the  very  mantle  of  our  Mediator  (the  vesture  dipped  in 
blood  thrown  around  us),  but  actually  one  with  Him,  so 
close,  so  united,  that  the  look  of  loving  complacency 
with  which  alone  the  Father  can  regard  the  Son,  must 
embrace  us  too.  How  eloquent  a  face  may  be !  And 
so  it  is,  as  if  the  Saviour's  very  countenance  were  full  of 
pleading  for  us,  and  our  cause.  So  upon  this  '  Face  of 
Thine  Anointed '  we  pray  our  God  to  look,  knowing  that 
it  is  perfectly  glorious  and  attractive  in  His  sight,  that  its 
intercession  must  be  mighty  and  effectual,  and  that  it  is 
the  very  face  of  our  beloved  Master  '  whom  having  not 
seen  ye  love,'  and  upon  which  the  great  drops  of  blood 
once  stood  for  us. 

1867. 
I  have  read  Robertson,  carefully.  My  impression  1 
sum  up  in  the  epithet  ''painfully  interesting.^  Though  I 
cordially  dislike  discussion,  yet  I  should  wish  when  I  see 
you  quietly  to  talk  over  some  of  his  positions  which 
appear  to  me  untenable.  I  think  his  teaching  must  have 
unsettled  and  clouded  some  minds  ;  better  for  himself 
and  his  people  to  have  remained  in  the  evangelical  views 
he  held  at  Winchester.  Among  other  parallel,  though 
perhaps  not  similar  teaching,  I  do  not  find  those  who 
endorse  it  enjoy  the  restful  happiness,  etc.,  which  I  do  see 
among  evangelicals.  Only  I  so  fear  I  spoke  too  strongly, 
too  dogmatically,  too  unhumbly,  in  my  last  letter ;  I  know 
so  well  how  little  I  can  wish  to  be  taken  as  a  specimen 
of  an  'evangelical/  how  far  behind  others  I  stand.  I 
wish  I  could   '  adorn '  more.     God  has  taught  you  in 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1S52-1869.  49 

many  things  more  deeply  than  He  has  me,  and  I  am  too 
apt  to  forget  this  and  speak  to  you  in  a  tone  to  which  I 
have  no  right.     Forgive  me,  if  I  have  done  so. 

Intellectually,  I  have  rarely  read  anything  more  inter- 
esting than  Robertson,  and  many  of  his  ideas  are  gems 
and  his  language  a  golden  setting  of  no  common  order. 
The  book  is  far  too  wide  a  subject  for  letters,  for  I  should 
not  like  merely  to  skim  any  topic.  I  think  you  could 
not  have  had  my  last  letter  before  you  when  you  wrote. 
Just  look,  and  you  will  see  that  you  argue  for  w^hat  I 
never  denied,  but  distinctly  admitted  as  a  truth,  the 
Fatherhood  of  God.  You  quote  to  me  the  very  text 
which  I  quoted  to  you  as  establishing  it.  Eph.  iv.  6, 
'  One  God  and  Father  of  all.'  My  position  was  not,  '  Is 
it  a  fact?'  but,  '\Vhat  is  the  relative  prominence  which, 
following  the  lead  of  the  New  Testament,  we  are  to  give 
to  it,  as  an  admitted  fact  ? '  I  think  we  should  seek  not 
merely  to  take  our  facts  but  our  modes  of  presenting 
them  from  the  great  source.  And  what  I  contend  for  is 
that  this  is  not  the  prominent  doctrine  of  the  New- 
Testament,  that  this  is  not  the  message  of  reconciliation, 
not  the  '  good  news '  (though  it  is  good  news  in  itself), 
not  *  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  ; '  and  so  that  we 
have  no  right  to  invert  the  order  of  God's  truths  any 
more  than  to  tamper  with  those  truths  themselves,  and  1 
think  there  is  danger  in  so  doing.  With  the  words 
before  me,  'No  man  cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  Me^ 
(John  xiv.  6),  I  could  not  look  for  blessing,  for  conversion 
as  resulting  from  the  presentation  alone,  and  in  the  first 
place,  of  the  '  Fatherhood.'  This  truth,  most  blessed  in 
itself,  can  be  of  no  practical  avail  by  itself;  and  I  do  not 
think  your  experience,  or  that  of  any  one  else,  can  furnish 


50  EA KL  V  LE  TTEKS,  1852-1 869. 

an  instance  to  the  contrary.  And  why  try  to  ignore 
God's  own  beautiful  arrangement  '  but  by  Me '  ?  Is  God 
any  less  our  Father  for  being  so  '  in  Christ '  ?  Is  His 
Fatherhood  any  less  wide  and  glorious,  in  that  the 
privileges  of  sonship,  flow  through  the  *  Elder  Brother,' 
who  is  the  manifestation  of  the  unseen  Father  ? 

I  have  been  looking  through  the  Epistles,  our  great 
exponents  of  Christianity,  with  an  eye  to  the  '  Universal 
Fatherhood,'  and  the  impression  left  on  my  mind  is  that 
so  far  from  being  the  special  or  prominent  point  of  New 
Testament  teaching,  it  is  almost  studiously  kept  in  the 
background ;  I  was  really  surprised  to  find  how  much  so. 
Generally  it  is:  ist,  'The  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ;'  2nd,  'The  Father' — used  in  direct  juxtaposition 
expressed  or  implied,  with  one  of  the  names  of  the  Son, 
as  a  distinguishing  title ;  3rd, '  Our  Father ' — used  by  the 
Apostle  (I  am  struck  with  this)  specially  as  spoken  by  a 
Christian  to  Christians.  The  only  exceptions  which  do 
not  seem  to  fall  under  one  of  these  three  heads  which  I 
can  find  are  James  i.  27,  and  iii.  9,  both  of  which  it 
seems  quite  reasonable  to  place  under  No.  2,  the  ex- 
pression in  Heb.  xii.  9,  '  Father  of  spirits ; '  and  strongest 
of  all,  but  standing  unique,  is  Eph.  iv.  6,  '  One  God  and 
Father  of  all,'  on  which  last  alone  you  can  take  your 
stand.  Now  from  this  I  argue  that  'the  mind  of  the 
Spirit '  is  not  to  give  special  prominence  to  this  truth,  in 
so  far  as  it  is  truth.  And  that  there  is  a  much  nearer  and 
deeper  sense,  in  which  God  is  the  Father  of  His  believing 
children,  seems  plain  from  2  Cor.  vi.  17,  18,  where  the 
promise  annexed  to  the  command,  'Come  out  from 
among  them  and  be  ye  separate,'  is,  '  I  will  be  a  Father 
unto  you.'     And  it  seems  to  me  to  be  a  sort  of  mockery 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1852-18C9. 


to  hold  out,  under  the  semblance  of  a  gracious  promise, 
something  which  is  already  in  one's  possession ;  I  think 
God  must  mean  something  far  more  here  than  what  is 
common  to  all.     And  I  do  think  we  should  strive  to 
make  all  our  teaching  as  accordant  as  possible  with  the 
'mind  of  the  Spirit/  trying  in  our  humble  measure  to 
give  prominence,  weight,  and  emphasis  to  each  truth  in 
the  same  proportio7i^  in  which  we  find  it  in  God's  Word. 
I  take  my  stand  by  Rom.  i.  16  :  'For  I  am  not  ashamed 
of  the  gospel  of  Christ ;  for  it  is  the  power  of  God  unto 
salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth.' 

1867. 
•         ••••••«• 

You  will  hardly  understand,  unless  I  could  have  a 
long  talk,  how  and  why  that  Httle  book  distressed  me  for 
you.  To  own  the  truth,  it  so  haunted  and  troubled  me 
that  I  lost  many  hours'  sleep  during  the  first  three  nights 
after  I  got  it.  I  cannot  think  how  it  is  you  do  not  see 
that  the  nature  of  poison  is  to  neutralize  the  otherwise 
wholesomeness  of  its  vehicle.  What  is  called  merely 
'alloyed,'  I  call  Romish  errors  thinly  enough  disguised, 
and  veiled  by  well-sounding  language  of  earnestness  and 
devotion.  Their  idea  of  '  saving  souls '  is  wide  of  ours, 
— what  are  outward  forms,  daily  services,  ritual  and 
music,  or  even  Confirmation  and  Communion,  when  they 
are  placed  so  prominently  as  the  things  needful  ?  If  you 
can  sympathize  and  fraternize  with  those  who  make  no 
secret  of  restoring  Confession  and  cognate  evils,  holding 
Romish  Sacraments,  giving  an  ostentatious  right  hand  of 
fellowship  to  the  Church  of  Rome  (as  they  do  at  the 
very  beginning  of  the  book),  above  all,  who  want  another 
than  the  one  and  only  and  once-offered  '  Blessed  Sacri- 


52  EARL  V  LE TTERS,  1 852 -i 869. 

fice,'  then  I  can  only  say,  How  can  you  expect  me  to 
sympathize  and  fraternize  with  you  ?  how  can  we  walk 
together  except  we  are  agreed  ?  Of  course  you  may,  on 
reconsideration,  explain  away  some  of  its  speciousness, 
but  I  cannot  help  grieving  that  you  are  so  easily  caught 
by  any  seeming  'angel  of  light,'  and  I  shall  fear  for 
future  temptations  which  the  enemy  will  well  know  how 
to  contrive  for  you  with  gilded  errors,  and  poisoned 
truths,  and  'fair  show  in  the  flesh.'  I  cannot  think  how 
you  could  expect  me  to  take  any  other  view  of  the  book, 
and  I  am  only  glad  you  sent  it  me,  because  it  gives  me  a 
new  and  very  special  subject  for  prayer. 

And  now  God  has  indeed  sent  me  a  bright  sunbeam, 
after  the  heavy  cloud  I  told  you  of  in  my  last  letter,  and 
I  take  it  as  an  earnest  that  that  cloud  too,  can  be  and 

will  be  dispersed.     If  you  think  it  will  please ,  ask 

if  he  remembers  giving a  little  copy  of  The  Blood 

of  Jesus.  For  it  is  that  identical  copy  which  has  con- 
veyed the  message  of  peace  to  two  hearts — poor  Parkes, 

who  died  so  happily  last  summer,  and  nov*^  to .     I 

had  lent  it  in  some  fear  and  trembling  ;  but  that  little 
book  was  God's  messenger,  and  all  is  changed,  and  so 
wonderfully,  that  it  seems  almost  too  good  to  be  true,  to 

hear say  the  very  opposite  of  what  she  used  to,  and 

that  so  evidently  from  God's  own  teaching,  for  she  has 
never  in  books,  sermons,  or  companions  come  under 
evangelical  influence.  She  knows  nothing  of  what  is 
called  religious  phraseology,  and  yet  she  says  the  very 
things  which,  though  so  fresh  to  her,  are  old  to  us.  I 
never  saw  such  a  distinct  instance  of  the  'power  of  the 
cross  of  Christ,'  and  such  a  revolution  of  the  whole  mind 
by  the  simple  acceptance  of  His  death  as  our  atonement. 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1852-1869.  53 

She  wnnts  no  speculative  books,  finds  no  difficulty  in 
*  difficulties,'  and  only  wants  to  learn  of  Christ.  There 
are  breakers  ahead  as  to  the  next  London  season,  and, 
having  been  accustomed  to  look  upon  us,  as  i:)erfect 
phenomena  for  not  approving  of  balls  and  operas,  I  can 
hardly  expect  her  to  do  quite  as  we  do  at  once,  and  have 
said  very  little  about  it,  feeling  quite  sure  (and  I  have 
told  her  so)  that  she  will  find  for  herself  that  the  new 
and  old  enjoyments  do  not  and  never  can  harmonize, 
and  that  she  will  have  to  choose  between  peace  and 
pleasures,  not  as  a  matter  of  opinion,  but  of  personal 
fact.  However,  of  her  own  accord  she  wishes  never  to 
go  to  a  regular  ball  again,  but  does  not  yet  see  her  way 

on  the  opera  question,  on  which,  unhappily, is  very 

strong. 

I  think  you  judged  me  a  little  severely  last  autumn  \ 
you  would  not  quite  believe  what  indeed  was  the  truth, 

when  I  told  you  that  my  music  with  was  not  an 

end  but  a  means.  Indeed,  my  feeling  in  that  duet- 
playing  was  very  little  for  the  music.  I  cared  far  less  for 
that  than  you  thought ;  I  only  thought  it  my  fairest  and 

likeliest   means   for    getting    intimate    with   ,    and 

gaining  an  influence  over  her.  When  she  became 
willing  to  listen  about  better  things,  we  gradually  ex- 
changed the  practising  for  walks,  so  as  to  talk.  Music 
was  my  grappling-iron  only ;  it  is  not  the  first  time  it  has 
been  so,  and  as  such  I  do  desire  to  use  it,  and  feel  that 
if  I  neglected  it  entirely,  it  would  be  hiding  a  talent 
under  a  napkin. 

And  with  regard  to  my  singing,  I  have  prayed  so 
much  and  so  often  on  this  subject,  and  the  more  I  do, 
the  more  I  feel  I  should  do  harm  to  religion  by  taking  a 


54  EARLY  LETTERS,  \%S2-i^^9' 

different  course.  I  have  prayed  to  be  made  perfectly 
honest  with  myself,  but  I  cannot  see  it  otherwise.  I 
never  sing  without  prayer,  and  I  do  believe  that  in  many 
cases  my  singing  has  been  felt  as  His  message.  I  might 
feel  differently  about  secular  music,  but  that  I  never  sing 
now,  as  you  know.  I  believe  that  in  such  singing  I  am 
speaking  for  my  Master.  I  do  feel  it  so,  and  was  told 
not  long  ago  by  a  Christian  what  a  privilege  and  re- 
sponsibility I  ought  to  feel  it  to  be  able  to  do  so.  If  I 
ever  saw  a  shade  of  doubt  upon  this,  I  should  not 
hesitate  to  throw  it  up. 

Ask to  pray  for  me.  I  do  so  believe  in  inter- 
cessory prayer,  and  I  know  she  would  pray  intensely  for 
me  if  she  knew  what  bitter  tears  I  have  shed.  Tell  her 
the  ground  or  not ;  anyhow,  tell  her  I  am  in  what  is  to 
me  great  trouble.  I  only  hope  I  shall  be  kept  calm  and 
deliberate,  and  kept  from  doing  anything  hastily.  So  I 
share  in  something  of  your  feeling  of  uncertainty.     Do 

not  fear,  dear  ,  but  that  your  way  will  be  'made 

plain,'  only  it  may  not  be  that  you  will  be  shown  the 
opening  till  you  are  close  upon  it.  I  feel  vividly  in  this 
most  sore  trial  how  true  H.  E.'s  remark  is,  '  that  it  is  the 
presence  of  the  element  of  evil  which  constitutes  the  real 
bitterness  of  a  trial' 

Do  you  know  what  it  is  to  feel  a  terrible  sort  of 
temporary  paralyzation  of  soul,  coming  when  least 
expected,  and  when  it  seems  full  of  spiritual  disa^Dpoint- 
ment?  .  .  . 

Autumn  1867. 

What  you  say  about  prayer  is  just  an  instance  of 
theory  versus  practice.  What  have  we  to  do  with  under- 
standing how  prayer  (intercessory,   etc.)    is    effectual.? 


EA RL  V  LE TTERS,  i S52- 1 869.  55 

Nothing  whatever  is  revealed  about  it  tliat  I  know  of, 
so  the  theoretical  part  is  undoubtedly  among  the  '  secret 
things  which  belong  unto  the  Lord  our  God.'  I  do  not 
care  to  '  see  any  way  out  of  the  difficulty ' — the  difficulty 
itself  lies  so  entirely  beyond  the  possible  range  of  human 
vision  that  one  cannot  see  into  it.  What  does  *  belong 
unto  us'  in  the  matter  is,  an  overwhelming  trinity  of 
precept^  promise,  and  experience  in  the  matter.  We  must 
be  right,  we  cannot  be  mistaken  in  trusting  to  these. 
Even  after  Mary  had  asked, '  How  shall  this  be  ?  '  and  had 
received  a  fuller  and  clearer  response  than  we  can  pre- 
sume to  expect  to  any  of  our  '•  hoivs,'  I  do  not  suppose 
she  anything  like  fully  understood  the  how,  and  her 
meek  answer,  '  Be  it  unto  me  according  to  Thy  word,'  may 
well  be  ours  in  these  most  gracious  revelations  touching 
the  marvellous  power  of  prayer. 

I  think  the  '  Attic  salt '  is  not  a  bad  idea.  But  in 
addition  to  that,  I  think  I  can  see  a  subtle  connection 
even  with  the  '  preservative  quality.'  Let  our  speech 
be  seasoned  with  such  salt  as  shall  preserve  both  itself 
and  that,  with  which  it  is  interchanged,  from  any  taint  or 
corruption. 

I  have  got  on  so  slowly  with  studying  St.  Matthew, 
and  not  at  all  satisfactorily  as  to  references.  Several 
evenings  I  have  read  without  even  looking  for  one.  I 
felt  as  if  I  wanted  only  to  pray  it  and  feel  it,  rather 
than  study  it ;  and  some  parts  I  wanted  to  read  over 
again, 

I  have  somehow  had  plenty  of  odd  and  end  work 
thrown  in  my  way  all  this  week,  such  as  illness  in  various 
directions.  Yesterday  four  different  kinds  of  '  ministra- 
tion '  turned  up  for  me,  all  so  different  as  almost  to  stand 


56  EARLY  LETTERS,  \%^2-\%^o. 

as  types  of  the  chief  sorts,  which  could  well  fall  to  me. 
The  last  would  have  amused  you.  A  party  of  Wolver- 
hampton lads  begged  '  coppers  to  get  a  night's  lodging,' 
last  evening  as  I  was  hurrying  home  ;  they  were  ragged 
fellows  out  of  work,  and  trying  for  harvesting.  I  gave 
them  a  trifle,  and  then  talked  to  them.  They  seemed 
astonished,  but  stood  round  me  like  a  class,  and  listened 
for  a  good  while  in  perfect  silence,  thanking  me,  and 
wishing  me  good-night  most  respectfully  when  I  had 
done.  Three  were  Romanists  ;  and  two  more,  nominal 
Protestants,  did  not  even  know  their  clergyman's  name, 
or  ever  dreamt  of  going  to  church.  It  was  indeed  seed 
by  the  wayside,  but  who  knows — it  may  spring  up. 

Thank  you  very  much  for  your  note  and  birthday 
thoughts.  I  would  far  rather  be  spoken  to  plainly  and 
faithfully  than  be  made  the  best  of,  as  some  do  to  me. 
I  hope  and  believe  that  I  am  not  deceiving  myself,  but 
nothing  seems  so  awful  to  me  as  the  idea  of  false  peace. 
Somehow  I  never  have  had  any  clear  perception  of 
I  John  V.  12  ;  it  does  not  convey  the  vivid  and  distinct 
reahzable  ideas  to  me,  which  the  two  preceding  verses 
do,  in  connection  with  which,  I  have  always  taken  it. 
Why  should  I  make  God  a  liar  by  not  believing  His 
record  ?  and  what  is  His  record  ?  *  That  He  hath 
given  us  eternal  life,'  not  that  I  am  to  carve  it  out  for 
myself;  only  to  May  hold'  of  it  by  simply  taking  Him 
at  His  word  and  accept  it.  This  I  trust  I  do,  feeling 
that  such  is  my  needy  helplessness  that  no  other  salvation 
w^ould  have  reached  me,  and  thanking  Him  for  such 
*  exceeding  great  love.'  Not  that  I  always  realize  this  as 
I  would,  nay,  it  is  seldom  that  it  possesses  me,  as  I  wish 


EARL  Y  LETTERS,  1S52-1869.  57 

it  always  could  ;  but  when  I  think  of  it,  it  seems  as  im- 
possible to  retract  my  belief  in  this  blessed  '  record '  as 
it  once  did  to  believe  it.  Am  I  unwittingly  wrong  ? 
Write  me  a  scrap  if  opportunity.  Please  practise  '  O  rest 
in  the  Lord,'  '  O  Thou  that  tellest,'  '  But  the  Lord  is 
mindful,'  and  anything  you  may  hit  upon  that  is  low 
enough  for  me,  as  I  so  like  you  to  play  my  accompani- 
ments, dear  Marie. 

Shareshill,  1867. 
I  do  not  agree  with  you  as  to  Luke  xvi.  2,  '  Give  an 
account  of  thy  stewardship  '  being  the  key  to  the p?'ifnaiy 
and  ;-e'^/ sense  of  'Not  your  own.'  The  context  (see  i 
Cor.  vi.  19,  20)  is  about  our  bodies  being  the  temple  of 
the  Holy  Ghost :  '  And  ye  are  not  your  own,  for  ye  are 
bought  with  a  price  :  therefore  glorify  God  in  your  body 
and  in  your  spirit  which  are  God's.'  This  of  course  may 
be  taken  to  imply  the  dedication  of  what  we  have,  i.e. 
property,  to  God,  as  a  natural  deduction  from  it,  but  the 
primary  idea  is  plainly  the  dedication  of  ourselves.  And 
I  do  think,  and  all  my  own  little  experience  among  poor 
or  unlearned  goes  to  prove,  that  instead  of  being  '  aboc'e 
their  understanding,'  nothing  will  more  readily  reach  and 
touch  their  hearts  than  the  story  of  that  love  which 
bought  them  with  such  a  price  ;  and  when  that  is  received 
and  believed,  the  '  Not  your  own '  follows  with  a  force 
which  nothing  else  but  this,  (the  connection  in  which  God 
Himself  has  placed  it)  can  or  ever  does  give.  It  becomes, 
not  a  *  highly  refined,'  but  a  natural  and  inevitable  view 
of  it.  There  cannot  be  true  and  acceptable  dedication 
of  substance  without  dedication  of  self,  (see  Article  XHI.) 
and  dedication  of  self,  true  and  unreserved,  can  only  spring 
from  love  and  gratitude  for  His  'inestimable  love  in  the 


58  .       EARLY  LETTERS,  i?>S2-i2,69. 

redemption  of  the  world  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'    You 
know  who  first  'gave  their  own  selves  to  the  Lord.' 

If  on  any  drawing-room  table  you  see  Lyra  Britaiinica^ 
look  at  it.  It  is  a  capital  collection  of  everybody's  hymns 
from  Wesley,  to  J.  M.  Neale,  with  little  biographical 
notices  of  each  writer,  which  are  most  interesting,  and 
settle  lots  of  doubtful  authorships.  Papa  figures  well, 
and  the  editor  has  also  inserted  me,  but  in  the  second  of 
my  hymns  has  made  a  most  foolish  mistake,  which  I  wish 
you  would  alter  for  me  in  any  copy  you  come  across.  I 
could  not  please  myself  with  the  last  verse,  and  wrote 
two  versions,  asking  the  editor  to  choose  which  he 
thought  best,  and  cross  off  the  other.  He  forgot  to  do 
so,  and  so  both  verses  stand,  looking  as  if  I  had  not  an 
idea  to  spare,  and  was  reduced  to  writing  the  same  twice 
over  in  different  words  ! 

1867. 

I  cannot  remember  distinctly,  except  as  a  'horror  of 
thick  darkness'  hanging  over  the  memory  of  last  Septem- 
ber and  October.  It  was  a  time  of  more  than  common 
spiritual  distress,  even  like  a  flood.  A  letter  and  some 
verses  of  M.  C.'s  were  God's  chosen  means  to  draw  me 
out  of  it  into  peace  and  light.  This  is  the  first  time,  as 
far  as  I  remember,  that  any  quite  direct  lumian  instru- 
mentality has  ever  seemed  much  immediate  use  to  me. 
Since  then  I  have  been  tolerably  happy,  though  far  from 
well,  and  it  is  good  for  me  to  feel  His  restraining 
hand.  It  has  been  trying  to  me,  this  ill -health. 
Very  humbling  to  be  a  burden  and  a  care,  where  I 
would  rather  have  been  a  help  and  a  lightener.  I  prayed 
so  much  that  this  my  last  year  at  O.  might  be  one  of 
marked  blessing  to  myself  and  those  around  me.     And 


EARLY  LETTERS,  i^2-i2>ec).  59 

yet  for  six  months  I  am  thus  held  back  from  anything  at 
all.  Is  it  presumptuous  to  hope  it  is  that  I  may  myself 
ho.  prepared  \o  receive  and  give  blessing  before  its  close. 
I  see  a  needs  -  be  in  this  spring's  trial,  for  I  am  far 
enough  from  being  willing  to  be  nothing  and  no  one. 
Pride  and  selfishness  are  indeed  hydra-headed,  and  any 
victory  seems  a  prelude  to  a  fresh  battle.  So  it  is  evident 
this  cross  is  just  needful. 

But  I  hardly  understand  another  part  of  it :  I  have  had 
to  lay  my  poetizing  aside  !  And  yet  such  open  doors 
seemed  set  before  me.  Perhaps  the  check  is  sent  just 
that  I  may  consecrate  what  I  do  more  entirely.  I  have 
not  the  same  temptation  to  vanity  as  years  ago  about 
this.  I  have  a  curiously  vivid  sense,  not  merely  of  my 
verse  faculty  in  general  being  given  me,  but  of  every 
separate  poem  or  hymn,  nay  every  line,  being  given.  I 
never  write  the  simplest  thing  now  without  prayer  for 
help.  I  suppose  this  sense  arises  from  the  fact  that  I 
cannot  write  exactly  at  will.  It  is  peculiarly  pleasant 
thus  to  take  every  thought,  every  verse  as  a  direct  gift ; 
and  it  is  not  a  matter  of  effort,  it  is  purely  involuntary, 
and  I  feel  it  so.  This  entirely  precludes  the  old  tempta- 
tion when  I  wrote  in  i86o.  And  yet  in  spite  of  this,  I 
trace  a  distinct  desire  to  have  a  name.  I  wonder  if  this 
is  really  wrong  in  itself.  It  does  not  present  itself  to  me 
as  a  sin,  provided  the  desire  is  reasonable  and  not  over- 
eager.  And  I  have  many  reasons  for  it,  and  I  do  not 
think  it  is  over-eager  at  present ;  possibly  because  it  is 
not  near  and  tangible  enough.  Still  I  sec  danger 
ahead  in  this  direction,  and  I  must  pray  for  protecting 
grace. 


6o  EARLY  LETTERS,  i%i2-\%(>(). 

{To  E.  C.) 

I  Elizabethan  Villas,  Weston-super-Mare, 
May  4,  1867. 

.  .  .  But  I  do  not  regret  this  spring  in  the  least :  I 
am  sure  it  was  far  better  for  me  than  going  on  in  my 
own  chosen  paths.  Is  it  not  singular  that,  having  made 
it  my  special  and  continuous  prayer  that  this  year 
might  be  a  marked  one  in  blessing,  I  should  have  been 
entirely  held  back  for  this  first  half  of  it,  from  any  effort 
whatever  !  But  I  think  I  can  honestly  say  I  am  satisfied, 
and  that  God  has  answered  my  prayer,  that  He  would 
enable  me  not  merely  to  submit,  but  quite  cheerfully 
to  acquiesce  in  everything. 

I  so  fear  that  you  are  overdoing  yourself,  and  may 
suffer  for  it  afterwards.  How  difficult  it  must  be  to 
have  apparently  to  choose  one's  own  path  !  But  the 
guiding  Hand  is  over  it  still.  I  was  so  struck  in  reading 
Deut.  i.  to-day  with  ver.  33 — the  Lord  searching  them 
out  a  place  to  pitch  their  tents  in,  etc.  Does  He  care 
less  for  His  spiritual  Israel,  for  the  children  whom  He 
hath  given  to  His  Son  ?  Surely  not.  I  had  just  heard 
of  mother's  having  gone  to  Shrewsbury  to  see  if  it  would 
do  for  us,  and  look  at  houses.  But  I  think  I  thought 
still  more  of  you,  and  prayed  that  the  fiery  pillar  might 
lead  you. 

Pyrmont  Villa,  1867. 

Dear  Miss  Titterton, — In  case  I  do  not  see  you  I 
must  scribble  a  few  lines  (excuse  pencil,  as  I  write 
reclining  when  I  can).  I  write,  but  I  feel  more  inclined 
to  give  you  a  loving  kiss.     How  kind  of  you  to  send  me 


EARLY  LETTERS,  i^2~\%69.  Ci 

Mrs.  Ashby's  allegory  of  '  The  Lilies  ! '  ^  It  is  toiichingly 
sweet  and  true ;  and  even  had  you  not  added  to  the 
interest  by  telling  me  about  the  writer,  I  should  have 
felt  that  it  was  no  mere  fancy,  but  the  transcript  of  truth 
graven  deeply  on  a  living  and  quivering,  yet  loving  heart. 
'  At  any  cost '  the  blessed  Stranger  waits  patiently,  and 
comes  again  and  again  to  His  children,  till  they  can  look 
up  and  say  it,  perhaps  very  tearfully,  but  unreservedly. 
How  little  will  *any  cost'  seem  when  His  work  is 
perfected  ///  us,  and,  by  His  work  for  us,  we  find  the 
'  abundant  entrance '  into  His  heavenly  kingdom  !  That 
will  be  a  glorious  '  nevertheless  afterward,'  of  the  perfect 
fruition  of  His  chastening;  but  there  is  a  sweet  and 
precious  'nevertheless  afterward,'  in  a  nearer  future, 
linked  with  every  trial  our  Father's  hand  sends.  I  think 
we  should  look  out  hopefully  and  patiently,  for  this  corre- 
sponding light,  in  even  the  lightest  and  smallest  shadows 
of  life ;  the  least  trial  has  its  own  '  nevertheless  after- 
ward '  if  we  only  do  not  miss  it  by  wrong  use  of  it,  much 
more  than  in  the  really  dark  and  heavy  ones. 

Did  you  mean  that  you  had  copied  '  Lilies '  for  me  } 
I  should  so  much  like  to  keep  it  if  I  may,  and  it  will  not 
lie  idle.  I  know  more  than  one  to  whom  I  believe  it  will 
be  cheering.  It  did  me  good  really^  and  I  thank  you  so 
much  for  it. 

1867. 

I  want  you  to  join  the  Saturday  evening  Y.  W.  C.  A. 
Prayer  Union.  There  are  now  more  than  2000  members, 
including  several  of  my  own  friends,  whose  names  are 
written  down  in  my  Bible.  The  idea  is  this.  The  young 
women  (of  all  classes)  unite  in  prayer,  first  for  them- 
^  Lilies  and  Shamrocks,  Nisbet  &  Co. 


62  EA/^LY  LETT£/^S,  iSS2-iS6g. 

selves,  I.e.  the  members,  that  they  may  be  personally 
blessed  in  work  among  others ;  2nd,  for  the  young 
women  of  England  as  a  class,  high  and  low ;  3rd,  each 
one  for  the  especial  individuals  for  whom  she  is 
interested.  The  Branch  Associations  are  where  young 
women  have  prayer  meetings  for  the  same  object  among 
themselves,  as  well  as  the  private  Saturday  evening 
prayers.  My  friend  Clara  Gedge,  who  asked  me  to 
join,  has  such  a  meeting  herself. 

You  know  how  rarely  I  feel  things  vividly ;  but  on 
Saturday  eve,  I  certainly  had  a  very  sweet  and  singular 
feeling  of  enjoyment  in  the  consciousness  of  being  one 
of  2000,  all  joining  in  prayer  for  the  same  objects.  I 
shall  feel  it  an  additional  link  with  you,  dear  Elizabeth 
(if  any  were  needed  !). 

I  think  it  rather  better  to  multiply  than  combine 
branches.  I  find  a  general  reluctance  to  pray  aloud — so 
I  always  open  with  a  quite  short  prayer — ask  one  to  pray 
after  the  requests  before  reading,  and  now  and  then  I 
get  another  to  pray  after,  but  often  have  to  close  myself 
I  think  the  danger  of  pressing  to  pray  must  be  judged 
of  in  each  individual  case  or  locality.  I  have  not  found 
one  whose  danger  lies  in  the  direction  of  being  too 
forward  or  elated,  but  quite  the  reverse.  Mrs.  Rogers 
has  all  quite  poor  cottage  women ;  some  can't  read.  The 
only  objection  to  mixing  sets  is  that  if  there  are  fewer 
present,  and  all  of  a  sort,  one  is  more  likely  to  get 
freedom  of  prayer  and  remarks.  Otherwise  I  should 
prefer  mixed  and  larger  meetings. 


EARL  Y  LE  TTERS,  1 85  2- 1 S69. 


{To  M.  V.  G.  B.) 

Pyrmont  Vjlla. 

.  .  .  Bishop  Gobat  (dear  saintly  man)  preached  twice 
on  Sunday,  and  on  jNIonday  had  a  drawing-room  meeting 
at  Miss  Rose's.  The  girls  sang  'On  the  mountain- 
top  appearing/  No.  871,  S.  G.  G.,  to  Papa's  tune 
'Zaanaim.'  This  tune  is  often  sung  in  the  Enghsh 
Church  on  Mount  Zion.  The  dear  old  Bishop  laid 
himself  out  to  be  catechized  about  Jerusalem,  and  his 
work  there. 

Your  poetical  request  at  the  Y.  W.  C.  meeting 
answered  first-rate,  it  amused  and  interested,  and  has  pro- 
duced no  end  of  rubbish,  ribbon  and  scraps  enough  to 
rig  out  all  your  Wyre  Hill  school,  I  should  think.  You 
had  better  return  poetical  thanks  at  the  next  meeting — a 
little  gratitude  won't  be  a  bad  investment,  and  I  think 
you  will  get  Leamington  rag-bags  whenever  you  want  any 
henceforth  for  your  poor  in  Bewdley. 

When  in  London,  I  had  the  greatest  fun  at  my  second 
singing  lesson,  which,  by  the  bye,  although  my  cold  had 
affected  my  voice  a  good  deal,  was  a  very  satisfactory 
one.  Signor  Randegger  is  in  such  amusing  ecstasies 
over  my  verses  ('My  Singing  Lesson,'  see  Memorials, 
page  90) ;  he  said  they  were  '  so  wonderfully  clever  and 
witty,'  and  *  such  an  embodiment  of  his  ideas.'  They 
have  been  kept  on  his  table  ever  since,  and  shown  to 
everybody,  'including  nearly  all  the  first  professionals!' 
That  morning  he  had  read  them  to  Rudersdorff  and 
Cummings,  and  the  editor  of  the  Musical  World.  The 
latter  wants  to  have  them  to  insert.  Then  the  Signor 
had  a  great  favour  to  ask.      My   '  astonishing  facility  ' 


64  EARLY  LETTERS,  \%^2-\%^(^ 

betrayed  a  practised  hand,  '  Would  I  favour  him  with 
some  verses  to  set  to  music?  Could  I  bring  him  something 
next  time?'  which  of  course  I  shall  do.^  I  was  seized 
wath  a  horrible  fear  after  I  had  sent  the  '  Notes  of  a 
Singing  Lesson,'  lest  the  Signor  might  be  touchy  and 
southern-tempered,  and  fancy  I  was  making  game  of  him 
and  his  instructions.  Plowever,  I  shall  be  a  clear  gainer 
by  it,  for  he  is  evidently  disposed  to  take  twice  the  pains 
with  my  voice.  He  says  I  am  not  a  true  contralto,  but  a 
mezzo-soprano. 

...  I  heard  Spurgeon  one  Sunday  A.m.  Magnificent! 
I  don't  recollect  ever  hearing  anything  finer.  Heard 
Dr.  T.  the  Sunday  before  at  Westminster  Abbey,  p.m. 
Service — cold  and  argumentative,  and  decidedly  unim- 
pressive. Papa's  E!7  chant  to  the  Psalms  was  graiidly 
chanted  at  the  Abbey. 

That  '  Tabernacle '  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able sights  in  the  world — the  end  of  the  season  and 
London  half  empty,  but  it  was  thronged^  and  always  is, 
twice  every  Sunday;  and  more  than  half  are  vien^  and 
intellectual-looking  ones  too. 

I  saw  Dore's  pictures,  marvellous  colouring,  every  sort 

of  coloured  light  seems  his  forte,  sunlight,  fairy  moonlight, 

starlight,  celestial  light,   or   infernal  light !      Illustrated 

News   critique    is  most  untrue  and  unfair — would  not 

have  given  them  credit  for  such  fibs.      Nothing  very 

striking  at  Royal  Academy. 

1869. 

I  don't  know  anything  that  is  more  refreshment  to  me 

1  Twelve  poems.  Sacred  Songs  for  Little  Singers,  \vere  sent  to  the 
Signor.  The  book  is  dedicated  to  H.R.H.  Princess  Beatrice,  music 
by  Randegger.     Publisher  :  Novello  &  Co. 


£J  RL  Y  L  E  TTERS  i  S5  2- 1 869.  65 

than  our  Y.  W.  C.  A.  monthly  meetings.  The  last  was 
a  peculiarly  nice  one— never  had  so  very  many  nice 
remarks  before,  and  the  secretary  told  me  that  never 
had  there  seemed  to  be  such  good  and  general 
refreshment  and  stimulus  to  the  members.  There  had 
been  special  prayer  beforehand  that  it  might  be  so  ;  I 
am  sure  I  found  it  so  myself,  and  all  I  have  since  met 
remarked  the  same.  It  was  a  sort  of  little  epoch  to  me, 
for  I  ventured  on  taking  the  prayer  for  the  first  time ! 
I  had  been  specially  asked  and  always  declined  ;  but  I 
thought  it  hardly  seemed  right  not  to  take  my  share,  as 
I  am  among  the  older  members  ;  it  was  immense  effort 
to  begin,  but  I  believe  God  distinctly  helped  me.  One 
special  point  I  took  up  in  prayer  vras  home  trials — the 
daily  worry,  and  wear  and  tear,  which  every  one  I  sup- 
pose has  in  some  form,  which  generally  can't  be  talked 
about  and  has  no  sympathy — no  two  people  have  just 
the  same — don't  you  think  there  is  an  immense  deal 
of  this  in  seemingly  very  happy  homes  ?  /  do.  I 
prayed  that  all  this  might  be  God's  chiselling — you 
will  easily  follow  out  the  idea  of  '  lively  stones '  — 
the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  February  subject.  We  reverted  to  it 
again  in  the  reading.  As  I  expected,  it  was  a  chord 
that  vibrated.  If  we  pray  for  our  own  special  needs, 
it  is  wonderful  what  echoes  there  are  in  other  hearts. 
If  one's  feet  are  very  tender  and  sensitive,  it  is 
as  bad  to  walk  on  fine  gravel  barefoot  as  over  great 
boulders  ! 

I  am  reading  the  Globe  edition  of  Shakespeare — it 
was  forbidden  ground  in  my  younger  days.  I  have  also 
made  acquaintance  with  R.  Jirowning's  Paracelsus  ;  it  is 
marvellous — love  ahfie  and  knowledge  alone  imperfect 


66  EARLY  LETTERS,  \^2-\%(^^. 

life — union  of  both,  the   true  thing.     But  he  is  tiring  to 
read,  and  wants  great  attention.  « 

I  hope  you  will  get  to  know  Charlotte  Elliot ;  it  is  an 
honour  from  God  to  have  had  it  given  her,  to  write  what 
she  has  written. 

March  20,  1869. 

I  wonder  why,  *  now  it  is  come  upon  thee  1 '  Some 
mcetening  for  the  Master's  use,  you  know  not  when,  or 
where,  is  perhaps  to  be  its  peaceable  fruit.  But  oh  !  I 
wish  very  foolishly,  and  ignorantly  of  course,  that  the 
Master  would  find  some  less  sorrowful  way. 

I  had  been  thinking  of  you,  but  little  guessing  what 
our  Father  in  heaven  was  leading  you  through.  I  know 
it  is  terrible — a  sorrow  from  which  there  is  no  earthly 
comfort.  But  how  much  heavenly  !  All  loss  to  you, 
all  gain  to  him  ;  and  by  this  very  grief  of  yours  is  he 
spared  the  possibility  of  ever  feeling  such,  if  any  of  his 
dear  ones  had  been  taken  before  himself,  instead  of  his 
going  home  first.  You  are  bearing  it  instead.  I  send 
you  '•  A  Little  While'  He  said  it,  Jesus,  our  dear  Saviour. 
And  it  is  but  a  little  while,  and  then  He  will  be  with 
you  through  the  darkest  part  of  that  little  while. 

'  Entered  into  hfe,'  how  sweet  and  beautiful  ! 

I  have  been  thinking  how  hard  it  is  to  realize  what  is 
yet  as  absolute  fact  as  our  own  existence.  That  your 
beloved  father  has  really  and  truly  seen  his  Master  face 
to  face,  is  seeing  Him  in  His  beauty — Jesus  Himself; 
that  he  has  received  the  *  Well  done,  good  and  faithful 
servant  j '  is  actually,  as  actually  as  you  are  mourning 
below,  entered  into  the  joy  of  his  Lord  !  A  week  ago 
with  you,  now  with  Jesus  !  .  .  . 

God  must  mean  some  blessing  to  you  by  this  sorrow. 


EARLY  LETTERS,  i%S2-i2>e<).  67 

I  am  sure  its  '  nevertheless  afterward,'  which  you  do  not 
see,  and  arc  not  required  to  see,  will  be  proportioned  to 
the  sorrow. 

Do  you  remember  sending  me,  when  I  was  fearing  a 
cloud  that  has  never  yet  come,  '  They  feared  as  they 
entered  into  the  cloud,'  and  the  two  following  verses  ? 
You  have  entered  into  the  cloud,  but  the  voice  is  there, 
and  Jesus  is  there.  .  .  . 

Don't  you  find  that  when  one  is  brought  into  any  new 
trial,  it  is  like  reaching  a  whole  new  vein  of  promises, 
getting  into  fresh  strata  altogether ;  it  is  not  one  or  two 
isolated  ones,  but  as  if  an  entirely  fresh  side  of  the  Bible 
were  turned  out  towards  one,  which  we  never  saw  at  all 
before.  I  have  felt  this  three  times  in  a  very  strong 
and  striking  way  (as  well  as  in  lesser  trials),  so  that  now, 
if  any  new  sort  of  trial  befalls  me,  I  should  expect  this  to 
recur  again.  .  .  . 

'All  your  need.'  —  Sometimes  that  '  alP  seems  so 
great  and  deep  and  varied,  such  an  almost  infinity  of 
need ;  but  '  God  shall  supply '  not  only  follows  but 
precedes  it ;  and  it  is  so  in  our  lives  as  well  as  in  the 
wording  of  the  verse.  .  .  . 

Are  you  not  very  conscious  of  the  detaching  power  of 
sorrow  ?  Ah  !  but  it  is  attaching  too^only  the  attaching 
to  things  not  seen. 

How  utterly  certain  is  the  promise,  '  Shall  receive  the 
crown  of  life '  !  I  have  often  thought  that  one  of  the 
joys  of  heaven  will  be  to  see  our  beloved  and  honoured 
ones  so  crowned. 


68  EARLY  LETTERS,  i^2-i^6c). 


( To  {the  late)  J.  S.  Curwen.) 

1869. 

During  the  winter  months  we  opened  two  nice  rooms 
every  evening,  and  gave  free  invitation  to  young  dress- 
makers and  others,  (especially  those  living  in  lodgings,) 
hoping  that  it  would  prove  a  safe  and  pleasant  retreat 
for  them  after  work  hours.  Classes  were  arranged  for 
each  evening  in  the  smaller  room  ;  in  the  other,  the  girls 
read,  wrote,  worked,  or  chatted.  It  was  not  so  successful 
as  to  numbers  as  we  expected,  but  the  attendance  on 
the  evening  on  which  I  gave  a  Tonic  Sol-fa  lesson  was 
nearly  double.  I  tell  you  frankly  that  it  was  not  for  the 
sake  of  Sol-fa  that  I  began  the  class,  but  solely  because 
I  believed  it  was  the  greatest  attraction  I  could  con- 
tribute to  our  little  scheme  for  bringing  them  within  the 
range  of  Christian  care  and  influence.  My  chief  reason 
for  adopting  it  with  them,  instead  of  the  established 
notation,  was  that  all  the  Sol-fa  songs  are  sound  and 
safe;  and  I  knew  I  could  not  give  them  access  to  any- 
thing low  or  bad  through  it,  while  I  had  no  such  certainty 
had  I  taught  the  old  notation.  This  weighed  with  me 
more  than  the  obvious  and  indisputable  advantages  of 
greater  facility,  cheapness,  etc.,  which  the  Tonic  Sol-fa 
system  has.  There  was  no  question  as  to  the  class  being 
attractive,  and  great  was  the  disappointment  when,  as 
frequently  happened,  the  members  were  kept  at  work  too 
late  and  '  lost  the  singing.' 

One  evening  two  girls  came  in  panting  and  flushed, 
about  fifteen  minutes  before  the  close.  '  Why,  Lizzie 
and  Jane,  what  is  the  matter  ? '  '  We  were  kept  over- 
time ;  but  we  thought  half  a  loaf  better  than  no  bread, 


EARLY  LETTERS,  1852- 1869.  69 

SO  we  never  stopped  running  till  we  got  here.'  They 
had  literally  run  a  good  mile  to  be  in  time  for  a  few 
minutes'  singing. 

One  nice  girl  who  had  just  begun  forming  acquaintances 
which  would  have  led  to  no  good,  and  to  sauntering 
about  the  streets,  was  attracted  to  our  rooms  solely  by 
the  singing-class,  but  soon  became  one  of  our  most 
regular  attendants  at  all  the  classes  ;  and  we  have  reason 
to  hope  that  she  is  not  only  saved  from  the  dangers 
into  which  she  was  rushing,  but  that  good  impressions 
have  been  made,  and  a  good  work  begun  in  her  heart. 
I  have  no  musical  results  to  show,  for  after  about  eight 
lessons,  I  was  interrupted  by  illness  :  but  I  believe  that 
my  Tonic  Sol-fa  class  has  been  a  grappling-iron  to  draw 
many  little  drifting  vessels  close  to  our  side,  bringing 
them  within  hearing  of  loving  and  sympathizing  words, 
and  of  the  One  name  which  is  sweeter  than  any  music. 


DIVISION    11. 


LETTERS  TO  A  YOUNG  CORRE- 
SPONDENT,   FROM   1856   TO    1877. 


(These  Letters  are  printed  in  sequence,  so  as  not  to  interrupt 
their  progressive  teaching.) 


(F.  R.  H,  to  a  Young  Correspondent.) 


[856. 


I  am  so  sorry  that  I  have  been  obliged  to  leave  youi 
dear  little  note  unanswered  all  this  while  ;  you  must 
have  thought  you  were  never  going  to  get  a  reply.  I 
am  so  glad  that  you  are  not  forgetting  to  think  about 
and  seek  the  Lord  Jesus.  But  you  want  something 
more  than  that,  do  you  not  ?  You  want  really  to  find 
Him  and  love  Him,  and  know  what  His  great  love  to 
you  is.  Then  if  you  do,  you  must  just  come  to  Him, 
and  tell  Him  all  about  it.  If  you  wanted  anything  that 
you  knew  your  dear  aunts  could  give  you,  you  would 
go  and  tell  them  what  it  was,  and  why  you  wanted  it, 
and  ask  them  to  give  it  you.  Now,  you  know  that  our 
dear  Saviour  has  great  gifts  for  you,  and  gifts  which  you 
cannot  do  without — His  pardon  and  His  love.  His  Holy 

70 


LETTERS  TO  A  YOUNG  CORRESPONDENT.        71 

Spirit  and  His  grace.  Well,  then,  dear,  go  and  ask 
Him  for  all  these,  and  He  will  surely  give  them  to  you, 
and  make  you  His  own  happy,  loving  child.  You  tell 
me  about  your  stones.  What  would  a  little  child  do  who 
had  to  go  along  a  rough  place  over  hard  stones  ?  Do 
you  not  think  she  would  call  out  to  her  mother  or  father, 
and  ask  them  to  lift  her  over  them,  or  at  least  hold 
their  hand  very  tight  while  she  stepped  over  them  ?  So 
when  you  come  to  a  great  stone,  you  must  look  up  to 
Jesus  and  seek  His  help  in  getting  over  it,  and  then 
you  will  find   the   way  smoother  and   pleasanter.     Try 

and  remember,  too,  not  to  put  any  stones  in 's  way  j 

you  know  what  I  mean.  I  have  written  in  printing,  so 
that  you  may  be  able  to  read  it  quite  by  yourself. 

My  darling,  *  be  not  weary.'  Is  not  the  Lord  Jesus 
always  '  the  same,'  whatever  you  may  be  ?  You  are 
looking  into  your  own  heart  and  expecting  to  find  it 
getting  better,  and  to  find  comfort  and  peace  in  that , 
and  so,  of  course,  you  are  and  will  be  disappointed  with 
yourself.  If  you  were  quite  well  pleased  and  satisfied  with 
yourself,  you  would  be  all  wrong.  So  give  it  up,  and 
come  back,  come  continually  to  Jesus,  just  as  you  are. 
Only  you  must  come ;  you  must  rLot  stay  away,  and 
expect  Him  to  follow  you ;  you  must  come  to  His  throne 
of  grace,  and  wait  upon  Him  there.  I  think  it  is  Satan's 
special  device  with  you,  to  try  to  supply  you  with  ex- 
cuses for  not  spending  calm  and  unhurried  time  in 
prayer.  He  knows  he  will  not  conquer  you  on  your 
knees,  and  so  he  craftily  drives  you  from  them.  Do 
not  yield  to  him  in  this ;  make  it,  with  God's  help,  your 
special  effort  to  baffle  him  here.  I  believe  that  your 
spiritual    progress   will  be   just  in   proportion   to   your 


72       LETTERS  TQ  A  YOUNG  CORRESPONDENT, 

*  continuance  ill  prayer.'     Rouse  yourself  then,  dear,  on 
this  point,  and  so  you  will  grow  in  grace. 

Sitting  on  the  Beach,  Malahide,  Ireland, 
September  i6,  1865. 

This  is  the  very  quietest  place  I  ever  saw.  The  hotel 
stands  all  by  itself  on  the  river,  not  on  the  sea,  so  that 
one  does  not  even  hear  the  waves ;  all  the  people  in  the 
house  seem  afraid  to  make  a  noise,  the  very  wind  is 
quiet  here,  though  blowing  fresh  just  round  the  point; 
you  have  no  shouting  from  the  boats,  they  glide  up  to 
the  harbour  so  quietly ;  and  I  have  not  heard  a  sound 
of  wheels  yet. 

About  your  going  to  church  on  Wednesdays,  I  am 
very  much  inclined  to  think  that  you  ought  to  embrace 
the  opportunity,  as  a  privilege  and  advantage.  For  you 
have  often  told  me  how  your  mind  gets  drawn  away 
from  holy  things,  when  you  get  into  full  swing  with  your 
school  work,  and  that  you  cannot  easily  secure  any 
regular  time  in  the  middle  of  the  day  for  thought  and 
prayer.  Now,  if  you  really  desire  to  have  your  heart 
kept  from  being  drawn  aside,  and  would  be  really  glad 
to  have  opportunities  of  drawing  near  to  God,  it  seems 
to  me  that  you  ought  to  be  very  thankful  that  there  is 
that  one  hour  in  the  very  middle  of  each  busy  week 
when  you  may  legitimately  lay  aside  the  earthly  learning 
and  seek  heavenly  teaching.  An  hour  reclaimed  from 
your  studies  for  God's  service  cannot  be  called  '  neglect- 
ing'  them  ;  and  if  you  go  with  your  governess'  sanction, 
it  must  remove  every  shadow  of  scruple  on  the  subject. 
Which  is  most  important,  an  hour's  French,  or  lesson  of 


1856-1877.  73 


any  kind,  or  an  hour  spent  in  nourishing  that  spiritual 
life  which  is  so  easily  deadened,  yet  which  is  so  infinitely 
more  precious  to  us  than  mere  intellectual  life  ?  I  do 
not  think  you  would  hesitate  in  the  matter,  if  it  were  to 
spend  the  same  time  with  some  dear  friend  in  reading 
the  Bible,  or  to  attend  some  exciting  and  interesting 
prayer  meeting ;  but  because  the  church  service  is  an 
'  old  story,'  one  is  less  ready  to  feel  and  acknowledge  the 
privilege  of  joining  in  its  calm  sweet  words  of  prayer  and 
praise,  which  must  always  be  full  of  spiritual  refreshment 
to  a  really  thirsty  soul.  You  can  hardly  have  a  want, 
which  is  not  expressed  in  some  part  of  the  prayers  ;  you 
hear  His  own  Word  read ;  you  have  the  most  beautiful 
words  of  praise,  which  ever  uninspired  pen  wrote  put 
into  your  mouth.  Only,  in  going  to  church,  do  not  let 
it  be  a  mere  form;  there  is  no  magic  good  in  your 
attendance,  we  only  receive  the  blessings  which  we  seek^ 
it  is  'the  diligent  soul' which  'shall  be  made  fat.'  If 
you  go  desiring  and  praying  that  you  may  find  God  in 
His  sanctuary,  depend  upon  it  you  will  find  it  good  to 
be  there,  and  prove  the  truth  of  His  promise,  'There 
will  I  meet  with  thee.' 

I  have  regularly  joined  the  Rev.  Marcus  Bickerstaff's 
Friday  Bible  class  ;  he  questions  me  the  same  as  the 
little  ones !  I  like  it  extremely,  and  regret  very  much 
that  I  never  went  before.  I  prepare  Constance  for  it, 
and  find  that  I  learn  a  great  deal  myself  in  so  doing. 


Oakhampton,  October  i-j,  1865. 

I   must   send   you   this  time,   'Wherefore   lift   up  the 
hands  which  hang  down,  and   the  feeble  knees,'  Hcb. 


74       LETTERS  TO  A  YOUNG  CORRESPONDENT, 

xii.  12.  You  must  not  give  way  to  discouragement 
because  you  have  failed  in  the  rules.  The  prize  should 
merely  be  the  token  of  your  efforts,  not  the  object  of 
them.  I  think  it  would  be  a  far  higher  victory  if,  after 
a  few  failures,  which  have  naturally  disheartened  you, 
you  go  on  striving  to  keep  rules,  because  it  is  right  to  do 
so,  not  because  there  is  a  chance  of  the  prize.  Believe 
me,  dear,  this  would  gratify  me  infinitely  more,  than  if 
you  had  not  failed  at  all.  For  if  you  go  on  now,  really 
trying  hard,  although  you  say  you  have  no  chance  of 
the  prize,  it  will  show  me  that  you  can  strive  to  do  your 
duty  from  principle,  and  without  the  stimulus  of  any 
other  reward,  than  His  approbation  who  '  has  chosen  you 
to  be  a  soldier.' 

You  do  not  yet  know  from  experience  how  much 
harder  it  is  to  do  right  and  to  keep  right  when  one  has 
left  school,  and  has  no  outward  rules  to  keep,  but  only 
one's  conscience  and  God's  Word  to  follow.  Do  not 
fancy  that  school-life  is  the  hardest  in  this  way ;  it  is  far,, 
far  easier  than  the  after-Hfe.  'Lift  up  the  hands  that 
hang  down,'  dearie ;  do  not  let  the  spirit  of  discourage- 
ment keep  you  from  earnest  and  confiding  prayer.  Look 
up;  you  are  very  weak,  no  doubt,  but  Christ  is  very 
strong;  and  is  not  His  strength  yours,  if  you  will  but 
draw  upon  it  ?  Your  love  may  be  cold,  but  has  His  love 
changed  ?  You  find  it  very  hard  to  stand  upright  at  all ; 
well,  that  is  all  right,  for  we  cannot  stand  alone.  Do 
you  remember  asking  me  to  v/rite  a  hymn  for  you  when 
you  could  not  go  home  for  your  brother's  coming  of  age  } 
These  verses  have  come  to  me  iox  you. 

'  Yes  !  He  knows  the  way  is  dreary, 
Knows  the  weakness  of  our  frame, 


1856-1S77.  75 


Knows  that  hand  and  heart  are  weary  ; 
He,  "in  all  points,"  felt  the  same. 
He  is  near  to  help  and  bless  ; 
Be  not  weary,  onward  press. ' 

— See  Ministry  of  Song, 

January  1866. 

I  am  so  sorry  to  find  that  I  can't  manage  to  see  you 
to-morrow.  I  hope  you  will  have  a  nice  school  half- 
year.  Remember  it  is  your  last ;  so  make  the  very  most 
of  it,  as  an  opportunity  of  self-improvement  which  will 
never  again  be  yours.  Seek,  my  darling,  to  let  your 
light  shine  for  Him ;  and  I  am  quite  sure  that  it  is  by 
watchful,  careful  walking  in  little  things  that  it  must  do 
so.  For  one  little  slip,  one  hasty,  or  idle,  or  inconsistent 
word  or  act,  outweighs  in  the  eyes  of  others  almost  any 
quantity  of  talk  and  profession.  .  .  . 

Oakham PTOX,  March  14,  1S66. 

My  darling,  it  strikes  me  that  you  are  troubled, 
because  you  are  looking  at  yourself.  Give  the  time 
and  thought  which  you  are  now  spending  in  bewail- 
ing your  coldness,  in  looking  at  Jesus,  what  He  is, 
what  He  has  done.  I  know  you  will  think  that  this 
is   'easier   said   than  done,'  but  here  you  are  met  by 

*  My  grace   is   sufficient  for  thee ; '   and  He  who  says, 

*  Look  unto  Me,'  is  also  ready  to  open  the  dull  eye  and 
brighten  the  dim  vision.  Do  you  tell  Him  all  about  it, 
dear  ?  do  you  try  to  refer  everything  to  Him  ?  It  does 
not  do  to  sit  still  and  lament  only.  Jesus  of  Nazareth 
is  passing  by,  and  therefore  '  rise^  He  calleth  thee,'  yes, 
thee  !     '  I  have  laid  help  upon  One  that  is  mighty,'  says 


76       LETTERS  TO  A  YOUNG  CORRESPONDENT, 

our  God.  You  have  already  found  it  true,  and  have 
received  help  from  that  Blessed  and  Mighty  One.  He 
is  the  true,  the  only  source  of  help,  so  avail  yourself  of 
the  help  laid  upon  Him.  Our  only  claim  for  help  is 
needing  it ;  you  need  it,  therefore  claim  it,  go  to  Him  for 
it,  and  you  will  find  His  Word  true,  'Yea  I  will  help 
thee.'  What  can  I  do  or  say,  dear,  but  point  you  again 
and  again  to  Him  ?  For  I  know  that  He  both  can  and 
will  'supply  all  your  need,'  and  His  only  condition  is 
'Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive.'  I  will  pray  for  you,  but  oh  ! 
pray  for  yourself;  that  is  the  secret  of  progress,  I  believe. 

Jwic  1 866. 
I  am  really  so  sorry  I  have  not  acknowledged  the 
photograph  and  your  letter  long  ago,  but  you  can't  think 
how  occupied  my  time  seems,  and  more  so  than  ever 
now  the  long  evenings  are  come,  because  I  nearly 
always  spend  them  in  calling  on  the  poor  people  or 
farmer  folks.  But  your  second  letter  reached  me 
yesterday,  and  so  I  must  m.ake  time.  You  won't  mind 
pencil  for  once,  will  you  ?  for  I  am  writing  out-of-doors, 
because  the  afternoon  sun  makes  my  room  so  hot.  I 
will  begin  at  the  end  of  your  letter  in  answering  it.  You 
say,  '  I  am  not  as  I  would  be,  and  I  am  afraid  I  shall 
not  till  I  leave  school.'  Do  you  know,  I  can  so  well 
enter  into  that  feeling,  because  it  has  many  times 
formerly  been  a  temptation  and  hindrance  to  me.  One 
feels  so  inclined  to  look  forward  to  some  fresh  outward 
start,  as  an  opportunity  for  a  fresh  inward  one.  And 
one  thinks  one  could  do  better,  when  circumstances  are 
different,  and  so  one  rests  on  one's  oars  in  the  fond  hope 
of  doing  better  then.     But  NOW  !     That  is  the  word  for 


1856-1S77.  77 


us,  not  knowing  whether  a?iy  to-morrows  are  appointed 
us.  I  want  you  to  reverse  your  feeHng,  to  think  how 
only  a  few  weeks  remain  of  one  of  the  great  periods  of 
your  life,  a  period  whose  record  will  soon  have  closed 
for  ever.  'Gather  up  the  fragments  that  remain,  that 
nothing  be  lost,'  and  He  w^ll  not  despise  them.  Try  at 
least  to  close  your  school  life,  as  you  would  7uish  to  have 
spent  it  all.  And  oh !  do  believe  me,  dearest,  nothing 
will  be  a  worse  preparation  for  a  good  beginning  of  the 
next  stage,  than  a  careless  close  of  this  one. 

It  is  impossible  to  strive  too  earnestly  just  noiu^  if  you 
wish  to  start  well  the?i ;  darling,  I  do  so  hope  and  pray, 
that  yours  may  be  a  steady,  consistent,  holy,  and  happy 
home  life,  but  I  believe  it  will  very  much  take  its  colour 
from  that  of  the  last  few  weeks  at  school. 

One  cannot  jump  suddenly  into  warm  feelings  and  a 
spirit  of  earnest  endeavour.  Was  not  the  confirmation 
prayer,  that  you  might  *  daily  increase  in  Thy  Holy  Spirit 
more  and  more  '  ? 

I  am  afraid  you  must  think  I  am  always  scolding  you, 
and  am  very  severe ;  but  I  know  you  Hke  me  to  say  just 
what  I  really  think  best  for  you, 

Ilfracomee,  Augusl  I,  1S66. 
I  do  not  know  whether  you  are  at  home  yet,  but  you 
will  be  when  you  get  this  note.  And  so  the  great  step 
from  school  to  home  life  is  taken,  and  childhood  passed 
for  ever.  I  want  to  give  you  a  motto  for  the  era  you  are 
beginning ;  only  an  old  common  verse,  but  one  which  is 
always  full  of  freshness  of  life  and  power,  one  which 
ought  indeed  to  *  work  effectually  in  you  that  believe.' 
*Ye  are  bought  with   a   price,  therefore  glorify  God  in 


78        LETTERS  TO  A  YOUNG  CORRESTONDENT, 

your  body  and  in  your  spirit,  which  are  God's.'  If  you 
have,  as  I  believe,  accepted  God's  offer  of  salvation,  you 
are  *not  your  own.'  Your  time,  your  life,  your  whole 
self  are  His,  His  by  right,  and  if  you  love  Him  you  will 
be  so  glad  that  it  is  so.  And  if  you  do  but  keep  the 
remembrance  of  this  before  you  every  day,  it  will  not 
only  make  you  happy,  but  it  will  make  you  holy  too. 
In  this  '  seeking  first '  to  live  to  Him,  because  you  are 
His,  how  many  other  happy  things  will  be  '  added  unto 
you ' ! 

You  will  be  thus  far  more  sure  of  being  a  happiness  to 
your  dear  Papa  and  Mamma  than  in  any  other  way,  and 
this  I  know  is  your  greatest  earthly  object.  Is  it  not 
nice,  that  both  lie  in  the  very  same  direction — your 
pleasing  them,  and  your  pleasing  '  Him  who  hath  called 
you  to  be  a  soldier '  ?  One  thing  I  particularly  want — 
that  you  should  not  be  '  discouraged  because  of  the  way,' 
that  if  you  fail  in  being  and  doing  what  you  desire,  you 
should  not  give  Satan  an  advantage  over  you  by  thinking 
'it's  no  use  trying,'  and  so  forth.  The  first  time  you  feel 
like  that,  look  at  Micah  vii.  8,  and  act  upon  it.  If  you 
don't  mind,  I  should  so  like  to  see  your  examination 
card ;  would  you  send  it  me  by  post  ?  It  would  come 
safely  enough,  and  I  would  send  it  you  back  again 
directly.     Do  not  send  it  if  you  would  rather  not. 

August  1866. 
Thank  you  for  your  letter  and  copy  of  card.  I  am  so 
glad  about  your  prize.  About  the  word  '  common,'  all  I 
meant,  my  darling,  was,  that  I  was  not  sending  you  an 
?/;zcommon  verse  (i  Cor.  vi.  20),  that  I  had  not  chosen 
one,  which  might  be  quite  new  to  you  to  dwell  on,  but 


1S56-1877.  79 


one  which  is  amongst  the  most  familiar  to  every  one,  and 
among  the  most  frequently  quoted — a  verse  from  the 
/ligh-icays  and  not  from  the  hyeivays  of  Scripture.  And  I 
am  glad  that  such  glorious  words  may  be,  and  are  made 
so  '  common '  for  us,  that  they  are  so  dwelt  upon  and 
known  and  loved  by  so  many  ;  and  again  that  they  are 
common  to  all  whom  Christ  has  bought,  that  none  need 
be  shut  out  from  taking  them  for  their  own,  and  living 
upon  them.  May  they  be  life  and  power  to  you,  dearest, 
from  day  to  day. 

September  1866. 
I  did  not  fully  know  when  I  wrote  to  you  on  Monday, 
how  very  poorly  altogether  you  have  been,  and  perhaps 
I  should  have  written  rather  differently  if  I  had  known. 
Because,  indeed,  dearie,  I  do  think  it  so  very  often 
happens  that  when  we  are  mourning  over  lack  of  joy,  it  is 
only  because  our  weak  frames  are  holding  us  back  from 
entering  into  the  joy,  which  is  otherwise  free  and  open  to 
us.  And  perhaps  the  Lord  Jesus  is  feeling  special 
tenderness  towards  you,  because  you  are  one  of  His 
weak  and  weary  ones.  For  all  your  ear-ache  and 
suffering  must  have  unhinged  you  very  much,  and  He 
knows  it.  It  is  very  painful,  very  weary  work  to  feel 
chilled  and  strengthless,  to  have  no  vivid  joy,  no  light ; 
but  has  He  not  made  provision  for  this  in  that  beautiful 
verse,  Isa.  1.  10  :  'Who  is  among  you  that  feareth  the 
Lord,  that  obeyeth  the  voice  of  His  servant,  that 
walketh  in  darkness  and  hath  no  light  ?  Let  him  trust 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  stay  upon  his  God  '  ?  He 
is  too  kind  and  too  loving,  my  darling,  to  have  really  left 
you  alone  ;  perhaps  He  is  nearer  you  than  ever,  and  the 
clouds  will  some  day  roll  away — perhaps  very  suddenly 


So       LETTERS  TO  A  YOUNG  CORRESPONDENT, 

— and  you  will  find  that  it  is  so.  Try  to  trust  and  lean 
and  rest,  even  when  you  cannot  see.  I  send  you  now  a 
second  birthday  text,  '  I  will  never  leave  thee  nor  forsake 
thee.' 

1868. 

I  have  not  yet  thanked  you  for  your  dear  nice  letter. 
What  a  solemn  time  it  has  been  to  vie^  a  strangely- 
mingled  one  of  sorrow  and  thanksgiving.     I  loved  dear 

Evelyn   so   very  much.     Dear   ,  you   have   special 

cause  to  'give  thanks,'  for  you  made  her  your  special 
prayer    (Sat.    even.).      Go   on   in   the   strength  of  this 

answer,  dearest,  and  pray  on   for  C.  and  for  any 

others,  whom  God  may  incline  you  to  feel  interest  in. 
Verily,  He  is  a  God  that  '  heareth  prayer.' 

I  feel  for  you  very  much  in  all  your  varied  anxieties 

about  dear .     I  hope  light  is  arising  out  of  all,  and 

that  you  may  soon  have  cause  for  grateful  praise.  I  am 
so  glad  that  you  so  wish  him  to  be  ordained,  and  that 
you  see  that  to  be  '  God's  ambassador '  is  a  nobler  thing 
than  any  other  calling.  I  am  very  sure  of  it.  And  not 
only  here^  but  we  may  remember  Dan.  xii.  3,  and  wish 
that  glory  for  him. 

My  mother  wishes  to  have  you  here  for  a  visit  next 
autumn  (Z>.  V.).  I  do  not  think  you  will  say  no  !  Then 
I  shall  take  you  to  one  of  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  meetings,  and 
hope  you  will  enjoy  it. 

1868. 

I  particularly  wanted  to  have  come  this  week  to  see 
you.  I  hope  now,  that  having  rested  so  long,  you  will 
prove  the  sincerity  of  all  you  say  about  wishing  to 
improve  by  setting  steadily  to  work.  There  are  plenty 
of  books  on  your  father's  shelves  which  you  have  not 


1856-1877.  Si 


read;  choose  something  and  set  about  it  at  once. 
Indeed,  I  hope  you  have  already  done  so.  This  year  or 
two,  is  the  golden  time  of  your  life.  Take  one  solid 
secular  book,  say  a  history,  and  give  it  a  good  hour  ; 
then  give  half  an  hour  to  some  solid  religious  book.  I 
hope  you  have  some  really  good  Sunday  book  in  hand, 
(I  do  not  of  course  mean  any  rubbish  in  the  way  of 
religious  tales  or  slight  memoirs) )  if  so,  better  finish  that 
first.  I  am  going  to  bring  a  very  nice  French  book  to 
occupy  another  hour,  and  that  will  be  enough  for  a  start. 
I  give  you  this  outline  just  till  you  have  more  real 
assistance  to  fall  back  upon.  You  are  a  most  fortunate 
girl  to  have  the  chance  of  such,  and  I  hope  you  will 
avail  yourself  of  it  as  fully  as  possible.  But  little  home 
duties  are  before  anything  else,  and  tJie  great  point  you 
have  to  aim  at  in  improvement  is  to  lay  aside  self  in 
every  form.  Unselfishness  is  better  than  high  intellectual 
attainments,  and  God's  promised  grace  places  this  within 
your  reach.  And  its  rewards  are  almost  infinite.  I  long 
to  see  you  perfectly,  iriily\  unselfish  and  humble.  I  shall 
come  as  soon  as  I  feel  strong  enough  to  ride  over  on  the 
pony. 

August  19,  1871. 

I  was  so  glad  and  thankful  to  hear  of  Miss  C.  what 
certainly  seems  like  a  beginning  of  good  work.  Only  I 
cannot  quite  understand  the  first  sentence;  it  begins  '  I 
am  very  happy,'  and  yet  all  the  rest  is  anything  but 
'happy,'  speaking  of  dissatisfaction  and  consciousness  of 
being  wrong  and  hard-hearted,  etc. 

Did  you  make  a  slip  of  the  pen  for  7/;^happy  ?  Other- 
wise it  seems  impossible  to  reconcile  it. 

F 


82       LETTERS  TO  A  YOUNG  CORRESPONDENT, 

Why  did  you  not  send  me  another  request  for  prayer 
for  her?  As  you  did  not,  and  your  letter  came  the  day 
before  one  of  my  meetings,  I  wrote  one  myself,  of  mingled 
thanks  and  prayer. 

Dearest,  what  can  one  say  but  the  old,  old  story — 
Come  again  and  afresh  to  Jesus^  a7id  at  once  ?  Return 
to  Him,  and  He  will  return  unto  you.  And  dear  one,  if 
He  keeps  you  waiting  awhile  before  He  sees  fit  to  let 
you  enjoy  again  the  consciousness  of  His  pardon  and 
love,  do  not  let  the  hands  hang  down,  but  seek  Him  in 
all  His  appointed  ways,  *  go  forth  by  the  footsteps  of  the 
flock.'  And  where  are  those  footsteps  1  Where  do  the 
flock  go  and  seek  pasture,  yea,  seek  and  find  the  Shep- 
herd .? 

Think  and  then  act.  I  hope  I  shall  soon  hear  again 
that  you  have  returned  to  your  rest,  and  are  leaning  on 
and  rejoicing  in  your  Beloved. 

I  am  finishing  this  at  Winterdyne,  not  sleeping 
here,  but  at  Lower  Park,  with  Maria. 

Pyrmont  Villa,  Christmas  afternoon  187 1. 
I  know  I  have  been  practically  defunct  to  all  my 
friends  and  relations  since  the  hymnal  business  has  been 
on  hand:  but  now  I  may  be  considered  come  to  life 
again,  one  of  the  signs  whereof  is  this  writing  to  you  ! 
Since  I  began  the  Havergal's  Psalmody  in  June  1870  till 
now,  I  have  been  steadily  and  hard  at  work  without 
intermission  (except  in  my  Swiss  tour),  so  I  think  I  have 
got  off  cheaply  with  the  penalty  of  two  or  three  weeks  of 
being  exhausted  and  tired  out.  I  meant  to  have  written 
to  you  on  Saturday,  to  wish  you  a  happy  Christmas,  but 
was  prevented.    But  the  day  itself  is  not  all,  dear ,  and 


[856-1877.  83 


so  I  can  still  wish  and  pray  that  all  Christmas  blessings 
may  be  yours.  I  have  been  thinking  a  good  deal  of  the 
wonderful  exchange,  which  none  but  infinite  Love  would 
have  devised.  He  made  like  unto  iis^  that  we  might  be 
made  like  unto  Him,  You  will  get  the  other  Association 
papers  for  1872,  but  I  thought  I  should  like  to  send  my 
own  New  Year's  Message  to  you  myself.  Will  you  pray 
that  God's  special  blessing  may  go  with  every  copy  of 
the  5000,  which  the  secretary  is  sending  out  to  the 
members  ?  It  is  a  long  time  since  I  heard  from  you,  and 
I  should  like  to  know  how  your  are  getting  on,  '  being 
confident  of  this  very  thing,  that  He  which  hath  begun 
a  good  work  in  you  will  perform  it,  unto  the  day  of  Jesus 
Christ.' 

14  Royal  Crescent,  Whitby,  October  1875. 

You  will  wonder  at  having  no  answer,  but  the  fact  is 
I  have  watched  and  waited  to  see  what  the  Lord  would 
have  me  say,  and  I  seem  to  have  no  message  whatever 
for  you !  I  believe  this  is  as  distinctly  His  doing  as  if 
He  had  given  me  some  unmistakeable  word  of  help  for 
you,  and  it  may  be  that  He  thus  withholds  me,  because 
He  would  have  you  give  up  all  expectation  of  help  from 
others,  and  say  'my  expectation  is  only  from  Him.'  I 
can  tell  you  nothing  which  you  do  not  already  k7iow,  and 
therefore  it  can  only  be  the  '  fresh  springs  '  which  are  in 
Jesus  Himself  which  can  '  revive '  you.  You  have  heard 
pretty  well  all  that  human  teachers  can  s^y—far  more 
than  I ;  for  remember,  I  have  never  been  to  any  con- 
vention, nor  any  single  meeting  on  these  subjects,  nor 
had  any  human  word  of  help  whatever,  excejA  those 
letters  of  Mr.  W.     And  yet,  dear,  I  find  Jesus  Himself  is 


84       LETTERS  TO  A  YOUNG  CORRESPONDENT, 

enough  ;  and  His  blessed  Spirit  is  as  free  to  you  as  to  me. 
I  have  been  immensely  struck  with  Rev.  iii.  12  :  'Him 
that  overcometh  will  I  make  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my 
God/  etc.  Now  ii  pillar  stands  only  on  the  foundation, 
and  on  nothing  else,  it  has  710  other  support,  it  does  not 
even  lean  against  any  other  pillar ;  but  because  it  stands 
thus  straight  and  upright  on  the  foundation  only,  it  is  the 
means  of  support  to  other  parts  of  the  building.  Now  I 
have  long  been  praying  that  God  would  fulfil  this  promise 
to  me,  and  it  may  be  one  reason  why  for  nine  months  He 
did  not  let  me  have  even  the  most  ordinary  means  of 
grace  ;  and  I  want  you  to  set  about  pleading  for  it  too — 
it  is  just  what  you  want,  isn't  it,  dear? — to  be  made  a 
pillar,  not  /;/  the  least  dependent  for  your  spiritual  life 
and  tone  upon  means  or  influences,  or  helps,  or  friends, 
or  meetings,  or  any  thing,  but  to  be  firmly  'rooted  and 
built  up  in  Him,^  without  any  more  bendings  or  quiver- 
ings, and  able  to  be  yourself  a  'means'  and  influence 
and  help  to  others. 

Leamington,  Christmas  day  1875. 

Darlings, — I  only  came  home  on  Thursday  evening, 
and  had  lots  to  do  yesterday,  and  it  was  just  a  question 
to  whom  I  should  send  Christmas  greetings  out  of  an 
impossible  list.  So  I  decided  to  send  to  those  who  have 
no  one  or  very  few  to  wish  them  '  a  merrie  Christmas,' 
and  let  my  own  pets  who  are  pretty  sure  of  that  same 
(by  God's  great  goodness)  be  left  out  in  the  cold  as  far 
as  my  postal  communications  are  concerned.  And  I 
suppose  you  know  I  did  not  really  forget  you  !  and  I  took 
it  for  granted  that  sisters  are  not  jealous  of  brothers, 
either ! 


1856-1877.  85 


I  awoke  this  morning  with,  I  think,  a  God-sent  impres- 
sion on  my  mind  of  the  connection  between  all  those 
five  glorious  titles  in  Isa.  ix.  6  and  Matt.  i.  21.  He 
could  not  be  the  Jesus  who  *  shall  save  His  people  from 
their  sins '  without  each  one  of  those  titles :  each  was 
necessary  to  His  being  our  perfect  Saviour.  I  can't  stay 
to  scribble  all  about  it,  but  I  wish  you  would  all  work  it 
out  for  yourselves,  it  seems  to  me  so  particularly  full  and 
precious. 

March  28,  1876. 

I  cried  for  joy  over  your  letter — could  not  help  it ! 
Can  it  really  be  ?  After  all  my  longing  that  one  of  my 
relatives  should  have  the  glorious  missionary  call,  and 
none  seemed  to  hear  it  except  Clement,  who  I  hope 
will  follow  it — that  it  should  come  to  you  ! — My  longino 
answered  at  last  in  you  I 

I  too,  do  not  wish  to  be  hasty  in  counsel,  yet  I  see 
not  why  I  should  not  write  at  once,  what  I  do  not  in 
the  least  believe  I  should  alter  if  I  waited  a  year  ! 
Well,  then,  it  seems  to  me,  that  if  anybody  may  give 
up  home  and  all  for  Jesus,  you  may  !  It  is  all  very  well 
for  good  people  to  think  others  may  go,  but  perhaps 
few  '  others '  are  really  so  free  to  go  as  you,  except  the 
rare  cases  of  having  no  home  ties  at  all,  and  really 
nothing  to  '  leave '  for  Christ  !  .  .  .  Could  any  one  but 
an  orphan  have  a  more  open  path  !  So  much  for  *  free 
to  serve.'  Now  as  to  '  fitness  to  serve.'  That  I  believe 
is  altogether  the  Lord's  affair.  If  you  whole-heartedly 
put  yourself  into  His  hands,  as  a  willing  instrument  in 
this  great  service,  I  think  no  Christian  ought  to  question 
whether  He  will  use  you  or  not.  He  can  help  you  over 
language,  and  everything,  as  much  as  He  helps  others. 


86       LETTERS  TO  A  YOUNG  CORRESPONDENT, 

Why  not  ?  Only  expect  everything  only  from  Hhn^  and 
nothing  at  all  from  yourself,  and  He  will  undertake. 
Never  mind  about  comparative  supposed  fitness  in  your- 
self— quite  as  well,  nay  better,  that  you  should  see  none  ! 
so  that  you  may  only  lean  upon  Him  and  His  grace  and 
power  in  and  upon  you.  It  is  not  as  if  your  desire  to 
serve  Him  were  anything  new.  For  a  good  while  now,  so 
far  as  I  know,  you  have  been  honestly,  really  purposed 
to  '  let  Him  take  all : '  it  is  no  new  and  sudden  principle 
springing  up,  untested  ;  it  is  only  a  new  opening,  a  new 
door.  My  own  feeling  rather  is.  Life  is  short,  and  we 
owe  it  all  to  Jesus  \  and  if  we  can  and  may  give  Him 
next  year,  why  withhold  it,  and  say,  '  No,  I  had  better  not 
give  that,  but  see  about  giving  Him  the  year  after  ! '  I 
do  not  mean  going  to  the  other  extreme  and  hurrying, 
but  every  year  delayed  is  a  year  less  devoted  to  His 
work,  as  we  cannot  add  it  to  the  other  end  of  life.  .  .  . 
I  will  not  write  more  now.  I  little  thought  what 
glorious  news  this  morning's  post  was  to  bring  me  !  it's 
the  very,  very,  very  best  I  could  have.  Nothing  could 
rejoice  me  more  ! 

Leamington,  April  23,  1876. 

You  may  be  sure  I  have  been  thinking  much  about 
you,  though  I  have  heard  nothing  except  the  bare  fact 
of  your  aunt's  illness,  and  your  being  nurse.  It  may  be 
that  God  is  going  to  train  you  Himself,  in  ways  that  we 
do  not  know  ;  you  will  trust  Him  ;  you  can  trust  Him — 
to  do  just  exactly  what  is  right  for  you — can  you  not  ? 
You  have  put  yourself  into  His  hands,  yielded  yourself 
of  Him  to  be  His  instrument,  and  there  is  the  end 
to  your  present  responsibility  about  it !     Now  let  Him 


[856-1877.  87 


work,  and  '  He  will  work,  and  who  shall  let  it,'  and  see 
if  the  day  does  not  come  that  you  will  look  back  and 
say  He  has  led  you  by  the  right  way  !  Perhaps  the 
shortest  cut  would  not  be  the  right  way !  Anyhow  He 
knows,  and  will  lead.  I  want  you  when  that  time  comes, 
not  to  have  the  regret  of  looking  back  and  wishing  you 
had  trusted  Him  all  along,  and  seeing  at  last  how  you 
might  just  as  well  have  been  happy  and  trustful  all  the 
time  !  but  to  be  able  to  look  back  in  deep  thankfulness 
to  His  grace,  that  kept  your  trust  fixed  and  unfaltering. 
Do  not  fancy  I  think  you  do  not  trust !  Only  I  wanted 
to  warn  you,  because  I  rarely  know  any  greater  pang 
than  regretting  that  one  ever  doubted  His  wisdom  or 
care,  when  one  sees  how  exquisitely  He  was  working  out 
His  own  purposes  after  all.  I  have  been  so  bitterly 
sorry  more  than  once,  when,  in  the  darkness,  I  had 
distrusted  Him,  and  fidgetted,  and  schemed,  and  vexed 
instead  of  restifig.  Look  the  whole  thing  in  the  face. 
Suppose  you  are  kept  wearily  nursing,  with  lots  of  other 
disappointments  for  ever  so  long !  Even  then  I  am 
sure  you  will  say,  '  Jesus,  I  will,  can,  must,  do  trust  Thee.' 
And  of  course  He  will  take  care  to  make  the  most  of 
His  own  instrument  !  No  fear  that  He  will  let  it  rust 
and  spoil !  But  He  may  put  it  aside,  dipped  in  oil  for  a 
little,  and  then  grind  it  afresh,  and  then  polish  it,  and 
make  it  a  ten  times  more  valuable  instrument  than  it 
could  have  been,  if  He  had  taken  and  used  it  at  once  ! 
I  am  quite  sure  He  will  do  right,  and  so  are  you  ! 

jMay  1876. 
I  only  want  to  send  you  one  verse  which  has  come 
so  forcibly  to  my  mind  for  you  that  I  won't  write  about 


88       LETTERS  TO  A  YOUNG  CORRESPONDENT, 

anything  else  to-day.  Ezek.  xl.  4  :  '  Son  of  man,  behold 
with  thine  eyes,  and  hear  with  thine  ears,  and  set  thine 
heart  upon  all  that  I  shall  show  thee  ;  for  to  the  intent 
that  I  should  show  unto  thee  art  thou  brought  hither.' 

Does  'hither  '  mean ?     I  think  so  for  you!     So  He 

has  brought  you  there  that  He  may  '  show  unto  thee ' 
('  them  '  is  not  in  the  original,  you  see).  Show  what  ? 
Surely  Himself,  John  xiv.  21  ;  His  glory  and  greatness, 
Ex.  xxxiii.  18,  19;  great  things,  Jer.  xxxiii.  3;  greater 
things,  John  i.  50.  And  the  command  is  to  you 
'behold,'  'hear,'  'set  thine  heart  upon.'  It  will  not  be 
a  Httle,  for  the  '  all '  seems  to  imply  a  great  deal.  '  To 
the  intent ' — He  has  brought  you  hither  purposely  with 
distinct  intention.  '  That  I  might  show '  then.  He 
could  not  have  shown  you  as  much  elsewhere.  He  has 
brought  you  just  where  He  knows  you  can  be  shown 
most.  '  Art  thou  brought^^  does  not  that  just  fit  ?  You  did 
not  choose  or  plan  or  go  of  yourself.  He  brought  you 
hither ;  see  ver.  i  :  '  The  hand  of  the  Lord  was  upon  me, 
and  brought  me  thither.'  So  far  and  no  farther  just 
now ;  but  I  have  no  doubt  whatever  but  that  in  His 
own  time,  when  He  has  shown  you  '  all,'  He  will  go  on 
to  the  following  command  :  '  Declare  all  thou  seest  to 
the  house  of  Israel.'  Nothing  could  be  a  stronger  con- 
firmation to  my  own  mind,  of  the  reality  of  your  offer  of 
yourself  to  Him,  and  the  reality  of  His  acceptance  of 
you,  as  His  '  chosen  vessel '  for  service,  than  His  thus 
instantly  taking  you  apart — taking  you  in  hand.  It  is  so 
marked,  and  so  singularly  accordant  with  His  almost 
invariable  dealing  with  those  whom  He  means  to  use. 
Oh,  you  may  indeed  trust  Him,  and  let  Him  train  you 
for  what  He  most  wants  you  for,  just  as  He  will 


1856--1877.  89 


Oakhampton,  1876. 

...  I  have  been  really  ///  for  several  weeks,  and  all 
writing  has  had  to  be  postponed.  It  is  quite  out  of  the 
question,  therefore,  to  write  a  choir  letter.  Almost 
every  post  brings  me  requests  which  I  am  obliged  to 
decline.  I  had  just  begun  some  little  new  books  for 
this  winter  season,  but  of  course  have  been  unable  to  go 
on  with  them,  to  Xisbet's  great  disappointment ;  and  when 
I  can  write,  I  think  I  ought  to  go  through  with  what  I 
felt  God  had  laid  on  my  own  heart  to  do  ;  as,  if  I  break 
off  and  perpetually  write  one  little  thing  for  one,  and 
another  for  another,  as  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of 
doing,  I  find  I  break  the  thread,  and  get  my  available 
time  all  cut  up  into  patchwork,  and  can  rarely  accom- 
plish anything  but  scraps,  which  does  not  seem  the  best 
investment  of  what  little  ability  and  less  strength  God 
gives  me.  You,  I  know,  will  understand  me,  darling, 
though  some  would  not ;  but  even  you  have  not  the 
least  idea  what  numbers  of  requests  I  get  to  write  for 
all  sorts  of  causes  and  societies,  and  classes  and  folks  in 
general !  And  here  am  I,  just  two  years  since  I  have 
been  able  to  do  any  writing  worth  speaking  of  at  all  ! 

I  have  been  so  struck  lately  in  reading  2  Samuel  with 
the  exquisite  typical  touches.  Have  you  noticed  2  Sam. 
xix.  20  ?  the  ^;/^?£'/;/^  that  we  have  sinned  being  the  very 
reason  for  coming  '  the  first  of  all '  to  meet  the  King. 
No  waiting  for  turns  in  that  court.  Darling,  how  really 
wonderfully  He  is  training  and  using  you  !  He  has  done 
for  you,  exceeding  abundantly  above  all  I  asked  or 
thought  for  you.  I  did  not  expect  all  this.  And  more 
and  more  may  *  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
be  glorified  in  you.'     I  am  so  glad  you  gave  the  address. 


90       LETTERS  TO  A  YOUNG  CORRESPONDENT, 

Never  mind  yourself  at  all.  Just  as  if  He  would  not  use 
your  lips,  when  you  have  put  them  at  His  disposal.  Of 
course  He  will  ! 

Leamington,  December  29,  1876. 

A  very  happy  New  Year  to  you  !  Grannie  came  and 
asked  me  '  a  very  great  favour ; '  it  was,  '  Might  she  send 
My  King  to  you  instead  of  me,  as  she  knew  I  in- 
tended?' So  I  resigned  in  her  favour !  She  loves  you  very 
much,  and  wanted  to  send  it  herself.  But  it  will  say 
lots  of  little  things  which  I  should  like  to  say  or  write 
to  you  ;  so  if  any  chapter  seems  to  suit  you,  you  must 
suppose  it  headed  '  Dearest  A.,'  and  signed  'Your  loving 
aunt  Frances.'  I  like  your  calling  me  that  so  much.  I 
always  liked  Frances  better  than  Fanny,  and  Connie 
nearly  always  calls  me  by  that  name,  and  so  do  a  good 
many  others. 

My  eyes  are  better,  but  I  am  obliged  to  save  them 
as  much  as  possible;  so  M.  kindly  answered  your 
dear  letter  to  me,  as  we  were  quite  of  one  mind  on 
the  subject.  Oh,  we  may  surely  trust  Jesus  about  it  !  it 
does  not  trouble  me  an  instant  for  that  reason. 

January  30,  1877. 
This  is  another  'answer  ' !  Being  at  my  wits'  end,  so 
many  subscribers  and  collectors  lost  by  death  and  other 
causes,  and  efforts  to  replace  them  all  failing,  I  had  to 
tell  the  Lord  that  my  expectation  could  be  only  from 
Him,  and  asked  Him  to  send  me  something  '  quite  un- 
expected;' and  forthwith  '  quite  unexpected  '  donations, 
thank-offerings,  and  increased  subscriptions  came  in,  and 
in  ten  days  about  fy  has  come  thus  !     I  prayed  yester- 


1856-1877-  91 

day  that  He  would  not  stop  just  yet,  and  so  yesterday 
He  inclined  you  to  increase  your  subscription  !  The 
special  appeal  is  indeed  sad,  is  not  it  ?  (For  the  Irish 
Society.) 

I  have  not  seen  or  heard  of  the  book  High  Truth. 
Get  hold  of  Mrs.  Gordon's  new  book.  Hay  Macdowall 
Grant  of  Arndilly  (Seeley)  \  it  is  most  valuable ;  his 
letters  contain  so  much  that  is  striking  and  practical 
and  instructive  as  to  dealing  with  souls,  and  the  whole 
thing  is  intensely  stimulating  and  helpful.  Ditto,  Our 
Coffee-Room  (Nisbet),  which  is  splendid  !  and  especially 
shows  how  God  can  and  does  use  the  very  simplest 
words.  The  writer,  Miss  Cotton,  really  never  seems  to 
have  said  a  thing  which  you  or  I  could  not  have  said, 
and  yet  the  power  of  God  with  it  was  marvellous.  Both 
are  first-rate  for  lending.     How  gracious  of  Him  to  use 

the  trying  experience  you  had  about  P.  B ism.     I 

hope  you  will  take  the  meetings,  for  of  course  He  will 
help  you.  Is  not  Jehoshaphat  nice  in  this  a.m.  chapter, 
*  Stand  ye  still,  and  see '  ?  '  See '  how  he  will  help  you  I 
You  know  I  am  not  in  the  Stepney  Union,  but  in  the 
Christian  Progress  Union,  which  for  many  reasons  I 
infinitely  prefer.  But  we  have  the  same  morning  chapter 
as  you.  I  only  use  the  'Stepney'  for  those  whom  it 
would  be  hopeless  to  persuade  to  read  twice  a  day,  and 
see  that  it  rather  encourages  the  notion,  that  one  has 
done  one's  duty,  by  reading  one  chapter  a  day  !  All 
ought  to  be  reading  both  parts  of  His  Word,  Old  and 
New,  every  day.  But  many  join  both,  and  I  rather 
think  I  shall  also  join  Mr.  Richardson's  just  for  the 
sake  of  gaining  any  who  are  too  far  behindhand  to 
read  twice. 


92       LETTERS  TO  A  YOUNG  CORRESPONDENT, 

Leamington,  1877. 
I  can  most  fully  enter  into  your  somewhat  complicated 
trials.  I  will  hand  on  to  you  what  comforted  me 
exceedingly  a  night  or  two  ago,  though  not  a  text.  It 
is  the  refrain  of  an  old  slave  hymn,  '  Nobody  knows  but 
Jesus ' !  Does  it  not  draw  one  very  near  to  feel  that  ? 
Say  that  to  yourself  next  time  you  feel  troubled,  and 
have  no  relief  of  telling  it  to  a  human  ear.  It  is  so 
sweet.  Just  a  secret  between  one's  own  sore  heart  and 
the  dear  Lord's  loving  heart !  Another  thought  struck 
me  for  you  as  to  the  special  trial  you  tell  me  of. 
'  Consider  Him,  who  endured  such  contradiction ' !  There 
is  a  whole  mine  of  cheer  and  help  in  that.  And  con- 
sider further — if  it  is  a  far  keener  trial  to  see — 
'  enduring '  it  than  if  you  only  had  it  to  bear.  '  Con- 
sider' how  God  the  Father  for  His  great  love  wherewith 
He  loved  us,  saw  and  endured  all  the  contradiction  of 
sinners  to  His  dear  Son,  and  let  them  go  on  contra- 
dicting and  never  interfered,  and  let  Him  endure  it  to 
the  bitter  end,  all  because  He  loved  us,  so  He  '  spared 
not  His  own  Son '  even  in  this.  .  .  . 

68  MiLDMAY  Park,  October  1877. 
Fancy  me  laid  up  here  of  all  places,  and  being  nursed 
with  an  influenza  cold !  Nineteen  letters  this  morning, 
and  yours  and  two  more  over  from  yesterday.  But  I 
must  try  and  send  a  line  to  you.  I  told  dear  Mrs. 
Pennefather,  and  she  is  so  kind  and  sympathizing  for 
you.  She  sends  you,  '  Sit  still,  my  daughter ; '  and 
'  then,''  she  says,  '  she  may  go  on  to  the  rest  of  the  verse.' 
As  for  'never,'  are  you  not  ^  ever^  in  your  Lord's  hand, 
and   in  your  Lord's   service  ?     And   won't  you — oh,    I 


[856-1877.  93 


know  you  will — '  let  Him  do  what  secmeth  Him  good  '  ? 
For  He  will  not  only  do  what  is  '  good,'  but  absolutely 
best  in  you  and  for  you  and  by  you  for  His  own  glory. 
Of  course,  He  will  !  Only  you  '  let  Him  '  !  I  don't 
see  what  you  have  to  do  with  '•  never ; '  you  have  only  to 
do  with  '  now.^  '  Now  the  tuning  and  the  training  ! '  If 
He  says  '  never/  He  will  keep  you  loving  His  Word  and 
His  will ;  and  if  He  does  not  say  '  never,'  what  matter 
who  else  says  it  ?  *  He  will  work,  and  who  shall  let  it  ?  ' 
So  just  leave  the  '  never '  in  the  dear  Master's  hand, 
and  live  in  His  '  ?iow,^  and  look  beyond  to  His  *  for 
ever '  of  Rev.  xxii.  3,  connected  with  Ex.  xxi.  6. 

Please  thank  Miss  Holland  very  much  for  her  lovely 
card,  and  do  not  I  like  the  text ! 


DIVISION    III. 


LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 
AND  HIS  WIFE,  from  1870  to  1875. 


December  30,  1870. 

I  really  do  not  wish  any  signature  but  F.  R.  H.  to 
my  tunes  in  Havergal's  Psalmody.  I  do  not  want  to 
be  conspicuous  as  to  them ;  every  one  will  think  it  pre- 
sumptuous to  have  written  them  at  all,  and  I  would  far 
rather  keep  out  of  sight  as  to  them,  though  I  feel  the 
opposite  as  to  being  recognised  as  editor,  which  is  a 
different  thing.  For  the  public  who  do  not  know  me, 
my  full  name  would  have  been  an  introduction,  but  my 
initials  would  answer  no  purpose  at  all.  Therefore,  I 
prefer  yielding  my  wishes,  and  have  crossed  off  my  name 
and  initials  from  the  preface  altogether,  and  let  the 
Havergal  Psalmody  be  anonymously  edited. 

My  mother  has  given  me  too  many  plain  hints,  for  me 

to  pretend  not  to  know  her  wishes  in  this  matter,  and  I 

have  definitely  set  it  before  myself,  God  helping  me,  that 

whenever  I  do  ascertain  her  wishes  in  anything,  I  will 

follow  them  at  any  cost.    But  I  thus  forego  an  advantage 

which  is  not  likely  ever  to  be  given  me  again,  of  gaining 

94 


LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND.  95 

a  musical  footing  of  this  kind,  and  one  which  I  have 
fairly  earned  in  all  these  months  of  musical  editing  and 
composing,  and  one  which  might  have  no  small  bearing 
upon  my  whole  future  path.  It  was  with  my  dear 
father's  express  approval  that  I  gave  my  full  name  to 
Ministry  of  Song.  And  I  cannot  say  I  see  the  difference 
now. 

As  for  making  the  sacrifice  (for  such  it  is  under  the 
circumstances),  I  cannot  say  I  have  had  grace  enough 
to  do  it  cheerfully,  for  I  have  felt  naughty  and  vexed 
about  it.  I  only  do  it,  because  it  is  right,  and  because 
I  really  wish  to  please  my  mother.  Will  you  pray  that 
I  may  have  grace  not  to  do  it  somewhat  regretfully  and 
reluctantly  (because  it  will  affect  my  own  song  publish- 
ing), but  to  feel  rightly  and  be  right  in  God's  sight.  I 
want  to  make  my  birthday  season  a  '  henceforth '  in 
Christian  life  (2  Cor.  v.  15),  and  rea/ly\.o\\\'Q  unto  Him; 
not  merely  have  '  a  name  to  live.' 

On  Sunday  morning  that  spirit  of  prayer  which  I  do 
so  value,  and  for  which  I  do  so  long,  seemed  suddenly 
to  come  upon  me,  and  with  it  a  special  impulse  to 
dedicate  myself  afresh  to  Jesus ;  and  so  I  did,  entreating 
Him  to  make  me  more  entirely  His  than  ever  before.  I 
brought  every  faculty,  every  gift,  even  every  member 
separately  to  Him,  to  sanctify  each  to  His  service  and 
praise.  But  since  then,  I  have  not  been  consciously 
much  the  better  for  it,  and  I  have  not  been  as  much  in 
prayer  as  I  could  wish. 

There  are  many  reasons  why  I  like  the  country  better 
than  town,  but  one  of  the  greatest  is,  that  when  I  am 
v.alking  in  tlie  country,  I  am  often  much  in  prayer ;  and 
in  the  town,  where,  of  course,  I  have  many  home  errands 


96  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

to  do,  and  calls  to  make,  I  never  seem  able  to  get  the 
quiet  enjoyment. 

You  are  one  of  my  greatest  responsibilities  in  this 
now  closing  year.  It  is  no  light  thing  to  have  had  such 
prayers,  such  counsel,  such  loving  watchfulness  over  my 
soul — all  this  ought  not  to  leave  me  as  it  found  me,  and 
T  hope  it  has  really  not  been  in  vain  in  the  most  im- 
portant respect.  As  to  cheer  and  solace  and  comfort, 
it  has  certainly  not  been  in  vain,  and  God  knows  how 
much  darker  the  shadows  of  this  sorrowful  year  would 
have  been  if  He  had  not  so  graciously  sent  you  to 
lighten  them.  I  am  so  thankful  God  has  given  me  such 
a  kind  and  true  friend  since  my  dear  father's  death. 

December  1870. 

Is  the  great  darkness  passed  ?  I  have  been  praying 
so  much  for  you,  and  whenever  I  pray,  that  2  Cor.  i. 
passage  comes  again  and  again  in  connection  with  you. 
Is  it  not  worth  this  great  suffering  if  it  is  laid  upon  you 
for  His  people's  sake,  as  I  think  it  is  ?  And  in  this  sense 
all  that  you  have  suffered  in  these  last  few  days  is  indeed 
the  '•  fellowship  of  His  sufferings.'  '  Fellowship '  must  be, 
and  is  both-sided;  and  so  He,  too,  must  have  had  fellow- 
ship in  your  suffering. 

I  am  so  glad  Christmas  Day  falls  on  Sunday  this  year ; 
it  takes  off  the  edge  of  the  anniversary  feeling. 

No  sad  anniversaries  for  your  little  darling — luver. 

I  do  so  pray  that  Jesus  may  be  so  very  present  to  you 
both^  that  your  great  sorrow  raay  even  now  be  turned 
into  '  great  joy."     I  suppose  He  can  do  it,  and  so  I  ask  it. 

Do  not  pray  any  more,  or  you  will  be  the  worse  for  it 
■ — we  have  committed  (the  dear  sick  one)  to  God  ;  perhaps 


AND  Ills  WIFE,  1S7C-75.  97 

He  would  have  us  now  leave  it  restfully  with  Him.     He 
has  heard,  and  He  knoweth  our  frame. 

I  do  hope  you  will  not  do  anything  unnecessary  while 
you  are  away.  You  must  need  rest  so  sadly — the  present 
'  temples '  are  only  cla}\  and  you  must  not  forget  that 
fact,  and  work  as  if  they  were  iron  and  brass.  Do  not 
write  a  word  to  me  which  is  not  actually  necessary,  till 
your  eyes  and  head  are  better. 

'  O  for  a  lodge  in  some  vast  v.'ilderness  ! '  etc.  I  should 
have  enjoyed  living  before  Caxton.  Mustn't  it  have 
been  nice  to  have  no  publishers  ? 

Skating  has  cured  me. 

I  am  going  to  sing  some  sacred  music,  and  my  father's 
Christmas  carols,  'How  grand  and  how  bright!'  'So 
happy  all  the  day  ! '  at  Mr.  Bromley's  annual  parochial 
tea-party  to-night  for  500  poor  people. 

On  Wednesday  I  am  to  give  an  evening's  sacred  music 
to  the  patients  in  the  Hydropathic  here.  Lately  I  sang 
at  a  large  party,  invited  expressly  to  hear  me  ;  so  1  took 
it  all  prayerfully,  and  had  my  own  way,  and  sang  my  most 
sacred  songs,  hoping  some  might  be  a  '  message.'  When 
I  came  away,  our  clergyman,  the  Rev.  J.  S.  Ruddach, 
with  kind  and  grave  emphasis  said,  '  I  thank  you  iox  your 
sermon  to-night.' 

1871. 

When  you  pray  for  me,  will  you  ask  that  I  may  use 
my  influence  always  wisely  and  earnestly.  I  think  God 
gives  it  me,  for  I  should  not  know  how  to  try  to  get  it  1 
Mr.  Shaw  said  the  other  day,  '  You  are  a  queer  body,  F. ! ' 
*  Why  ? '  I  said.  '  See,  here  is  every  one  making  arrange- 
ments to  get  a  tete-a-tete  with  you  !' 

It  is  queer,  but  a  great  responsibility.     That  is  why  I 


98  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

actually  rather  dread  a  visit  to  a  large  household ;  for 
each  one  separately,  as  a  rule,  seems  to  imagine  they 
must  pour  out  all  their  difficulties  and  feelings  to  me  in 
private,  often  down  to  the  very  servants ;  and  though  I 
am  thankful  for  the  opportunities  this  gives,  you  cannot 
think  what  a  strain  it  often  becomes  upon  heart  and 
nerves.  I  hope  not  many  are  the  repositories  of  as 
many  sad  secrets,  spiritual  and  temporal,  as  I  am. 

A  dear  young  friend  married  the  Rector  of  a  immense 
parish,  and  feels  overwhelmed,  not  merely  with  the  vast 
v\-ork  which  might  be  done,  and  to  which  no  young  lady 
could  be  physically  equal,  but  with  the  sense  of  being 
too  young  to  'presume 'to  try  and  talk  to  people  and 
influence  them  and  so  forth.  She  has  got  disheartened 
and  tempted,  and  this  was  why  she  was  so  eager  for  me 
to  come.  She  was  one  of  what  are  called  '  Frances' 
ladyloves  ; '  for  it  is  a  joke  among  my  friends,  what  a 
remarkable  hold  I  often  get  upon  young  girls.  To  me  it 
is  anything  but  a  joke — rather  a  very  solemn  respon- 
sibility; for  the  influence  I  feel  and  know  I  do  get,  is 
often  quite  extraordinary  and  unaccountable  to  myself. 

1871. 
I  do  not  think  you  ever  need  fear  for  me  again  as  to 
High  Churchism,  for  my  three  weeks'  visit  here  has  been 
about  as  strong  a  test  as  I  could  well  have ;  and  yet  I 
feel  I  have  not  swerved  a  hair's  breadth  in  my  sympathies, 
which  are  perhaps  more  strongly  and  consciously  than 
ever  before  on  the  Evangelical  side.  Here,  I  have  been 
in  contact  with  the  best  type  of  High  Church,  not  merely 
as  to  exceeding  beauty  of  musical  services,  without  any 
absurdities  of  ritualism,  but  the  Vicar,  with  whom  I  have 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1870- 187  5.  99 

had  a  great  deal  of  conversation,  is  just  one  who  would 
influence  me  in  the  matter  if  any  one  could.  He  is 
candid,  gentlemanly,  and  kind,  and  I  have  immense 
respect  for  his  intellectual  powers,  and  no  more  doubt  of 
his  personal  piety  and  real  religion  than  I  have  of  yours  ! 
And  yet  I  feel  I  am  not  swayed  in  the  least.  He  holds 
the  whole  High  Church  scheme,  beginning  with  baptismal 
regeneration.  I  never  saw  before  how  complete  each 
scheme  is  in  itself.  I  always  wondered  why  people  did 
not  hold  some  doctrines  of  one  school,  and  some  of  the 
other,  but  I  see  now ;  and  so  my  allegiance  is  given  in 
more  entirely  than  ever  to  the  Evangelical  side,  and  I 
never  could  go  with  the  other  in  anything,  because  I  now 
understand  that  it  must  be  all  or  none. 

We  have  had  some  delightful  excursions,  and  yesterday, 
to  my  intense  delight,  spent  several  hours  on  the  heights 
of  a  real  wild  Yorkshire  moor,  with  nothing  but  moor 
and  sky,  and  distant  sweeps  of  hills  and  heather,  and 
peewits  and  grouse  and  bogs  and  rocks  !  Just  what  I 
enjoy! 

On  the  Peak  of  the  Corner  Grat,  10,200  feet  high  I 
July  14,  1871. 

I  must  write  you  a  few  lines  from  this  grandest  of  all 
God's  great  mountain  temples.  You  never  had  a  letter 
from  this  altitude  before !  It  is  stated  to  be  without 
exception  the  finest  mountain  panorama  in  Europe.  We 
slept  at  the  Riffel  (8000  feet),  and  climbed  up  here  for 
sunrise,  starting  at  3  a.m.  It  is  now  9  a.m.,  and  we  have 
been  up  here  all  the  time  and  alone  till  a  few  minutes 
ago.  It  is  an  exceptionally  glorious  morning,  a  magni- 
ficent sunrise,  with  all  that  wonderful  rose-fire  which  I 


100  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

told  you  about  in  my  '  circular '  from  Bel  Alp.  And 
now  there  is  not  a  cloud,  and  every  peak  stands  out 
white,  sharp,  and  clear  against  a  deep  blue  sky.  We  had 
to  walk  about  a  little  space  of  three  or  four  yards  (snow 
being  all  round)  till  six  o'clock,  to  keep  warm  till  the  sun 
got  power,  for  all  was  hard  frozen  till  then, — now  it  is 
quite  hot.  I  have  been  reading  and  praying  in  this 
marvellous  scene,  and  now  writing.  Of  course  our  guide 
carried  up  provisions  for  us,  as  we  wished  to  stay,  and 
sent  him  down  ;  so  we  have  breakfasted  on  hard  eggs  and 
bread  and  wine  ! 

Dear  friend,  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  write  hymns  here 
— there  is  not  the  remotest  chance  of  one  unless  we  had 
some  spell  of  bad  weather !  You  cannot  think  what  it 
is ;  always  something  to  look  at  or  do — every  step  needs 
looking  at,  it  is  not  like  walking  along  a  road  ;  then  the 
flowers  are  most  distracting,  myriads  of  lovely  things,  then 
goats  and  cows,  and  our  scrambling  or  gambolling  about 
the  rocks,  not  to  mention  the  ever-changing  effects  of 
mountain  and  cloud ;  one  cannot  possibly  concentrate 
thought  on  any  subject,  even  in  prayer — ejaculatory 
prayer  is  all  that  seems  possible.  Perhaps  this  is  the 
\)^^\.  possible  thing  for  me  ;  I  feel  as  if  it  was  restoring,  not 
merely  physical  but  mental  balance.  At  present  it  really 
seems  as  if  I  could  neither  think  nor  write  of  anything 
but  '  Switzerland ; '  and  when  I  am  not  out  and  about, 
I  generally  take  the  opportunity  of  going  to  sleep,  as 
E.  C.  and  I  are  usually  up  before  five  and  often  before  four. 

I  do  so  wish   you   and   Mrs.  would   come   to 

Switzerland,  it  is  so  utterly  different  from  just  messing  at 
English  watering-places.  I  cannot  imagine  why  people 
who  can  afford  it  do  not  come. 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1870-1875.  loi 

It  is  very  difficult  to  believe  that  David  never  was  in 
Switzerland ! 

I  did  not  forget  my  dear  Perry  Y.  W.  C.  Association 
members  last  night — their  7.30  was  8.10  here  (difference 
of  time  40  minutes). 

Zermatt,  187 1. 

.  .  .  Do  you  hear  anything  of  our  proceedings  ?  I 
hope  you  do,  and  only  wish  you  could  see  us  at  it !     I 

am  thankful   I   promised before  leaving  England 

that  I  would  not  go  anywhere  that  /  considered 
dangerous,  for  I  am  sure  I  have  been  nearly  all  day  in 
places  which  you  would  think  awful !  The  result,  how- 
ever, is,  that  I  have  not  felt  so  well  for  years,  and  have 
quite  lost  that  constant  sense  of  weariness,  which  was  so 
oppressive  to  me.  Our  tour  has  been  so  singularly 
pleasant  in  every  way  that  it  almost  makes  me  tremble, 
and  I  have  been  wondering  whether  it  is  a  gracious 
*  nevertheless  afterwards'  of  great  sorrow  behind,  or 
whether  it  may  be  a  preparation  for  some  great  and 
unguessed  sorrows  to  come.  Any  special  enjoyment  is 
nearly  always  one  or  the  other  as  far  as  my  experience 
goes.  I  am  so  glad  I  am  coming  to  see  you,  instead  of 
going  home  direct ;  for  last  time  I  was  in  Switzerland,  my 
greatest  anticipation  was  telling  my  dear  father  all  about 
it,  knowing  how  exceedingly  interested  he  would  be,  and 
I  knew  I  should  feel  fresh  pain  and  loss  if  I  went  to 
Pyrmont  Villa,  which  hardly  seems  home  now.  The 
only  cloud  upon  this  summer  is  that  even  the  very 
independent  way  in  which  I  am  going  about  (much  as  in 
other  respects  I  enjoy  it)  constantly  reminds  me  that  I 
am  an  orphan  and  alone^  and  often  I  feel  it  bitterly.  I 
do  not  think  you  could  quite  understand  how  I  mean, 


102  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

for  you  as  a  wife  have  an  even  nearer  and  greater  and 
dearer  protection  than  a  father ;  and  yet  it  is  a  sort  of 
relief  to  say  out  this  sense  of  loneliness  for  once,  just  for 
once. 

Will  you  ask  your  Y.  W.  C.  A.  members  to  pray 
for  a  young  Swiss  girl,  waitress  at  this  hotel,  in 
whom  I  am  immensely  interested.  I  have  been  reading 
the  Bible  with  her  each  day,  and  I  do  trust  she  is 
really  awakened,  though  I  cannot  say  more  than  that 
yet.  She  is  a  singularly  sweet  and  charming  girl,  and 
has  been  brought  up  a  Romanist  i^o  Protestants  here), 
and  I  found  her,  not  thoughtless,  but  trying  to  earn 
salvation  by  good  works ;  and  finding  that  she  '  could 
not  be  good  enough,'  she  fears  death  ;  and  *  why  should 
I  not,  when  I  do  not  merit  heaven  and  must  go  to 
purgatory  ? '     So  the  free  salvation  is  good  news  to  her. 

Oakhampton,  1871. 

I  do  feel  so  much  better  already  for  the  utter  quiet 
and  rest  here.  Glad  as  I  shall  be  to  see  my  sister 
return,  I  am  gladder  still  to  have  these  three  days 
without  needing  to  speak  to  any  one  or  feeling  that  any 
one  wants  to  speak  to  me,  or  wonders  what  I  am  about. 

I  am  amused  at  your  thinking  my  sister  Miriam  might 
not  like  me  to  come  thus  before  her  !  The  terms  we 
four  sisters  are  on,  are  simply,  that  each  really  and 
honestly  likes  nothing  so  much  as  that  each  should  do 
or  have  exactly  what  she  likes  or  fancies  she  likes  !  We 
understand  each  other  so  perfectly,  it  would  never  cross 
my  mind  '  would  she  like  it  ? '  because  if  /  liked  it  she 
would  be  certain  to  like  me  to  do  it.  It  is  very  nice  to 
be  thus,  all  four  of  us  sisters. 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1 870-1 875. 


It  was  a  rather  peculiar  '  need,'  and  God  has  exactly 
supplied  it.  Already  the  wretched  sense  of  nervous 
exhaustion  produced  by  the  suspense  and  strain  of  last 
week  is  quite  gone,  and  though  'the  cross  is  not 
removed'  and  I  am  still  in  much  uncertainty  (as  no 
letter  has  reached  or  could  reach  me  to-day),  I  can 
feel  quite  trustful  and  restful  and  acquiescent  in  all. 

It  is  intensely  beautiful  at  Oakhampton  (I  always 
think  this  part  of  Worcestershire  exquisite),  and  the 
conservatory  and  gardens  are  delicious. 

The  servants  were  delighted,  and  not  at  all  astonished ; 
it  seems  my  sister  told  them  it  was  quite  likely  I  might 
drop  in  any  day.  They  cannot  do  enough  for  me,  and 
I  have  had  quite  a  battle  to  make  them  understand  that 
I  really  do  not  require  five  sitting-rooms  !  Yesterday  I 
only  went  to  church  in  the  morning,  as  I  was  very  tired ; 
so  I  only  rested,  and  planned  and  prepared  for  my 
Sunday  evening  readings.  I  have  decided  on  'The 
Lord's  Prayer,  and  the  Promises  on  which  it  is  founded.' 
I  never  worked  it  out  entirely  yet,  and  I  think  I  shall 
enjoy  doing  it  very  much.  I  only  took  '  Our  Father ' 
last  night,  including  the  (i)  Means,  (2)  the  Tokens,  (3) 
Privileges,  (4)  Duties,  (5)  Promises  of  Adoption.  The 
servants  were  most  anxious  for  some  singing  from  Songs 
of  Grace  and  Glory  and  Havergal's  Psalmody^  and  were 
greatly  gratified  at  my  approbation,  which  was  really  well 
deserved.  My  sister  has  gone  to  work  in  a  most 
systematic  way  with  both  books ;  they  learn  a  new  hymn 
and  tune  every  Sunday,  keeping  up  all  the  old  ones,  and 
the  footman  learns  the  bass  of  every  one  !  No.  642  is  a 
special  favourite  hymn,  and  '  Hermas  '  the  pet  tunc.  I 
am  delighted  to  find  that  my  sister  is  making  quite  a 


104  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

deaconess  of  Sarah  (the  nice  maid) ;  she  gives  the  whole 
evening  after  five  o'clock  tea  regularly  to  visiting  and 
reading,  and  very  often  a  whole  morning  also ;  she  is 
beautifully  humble  and  thankful  to  be  allowed  to  work 
thus.  I  find  she  knows  every  cottage  in  the  parish,  and 
can  tell  me  about  every  one  ;  she  will  be  charmed  to 
help  me  beat  up  for  cottage  readings. 

This  morning  I  went  a  delicious  stroll ;  you  have  no 
idea  how  beautiful  some  of  the  lanes  are,  and  so  full  of 
flowers  that  I  am  quite  consoled  for  Switzerland  even  ! 
They  are  exceedingly  luxuriant  and  lonely  and  lovely,  so 
I  stayed  out  till  near  dinner-time  enjoying  them.  I 
wrote  a  recitative  and  another  song  for  my  Swiss  cantata. 
I  think  you  will  like  the  latter ;  it  is  a  sort  of  sacred 
mountain  song.  Then  I  called  on  old  Mrs.  Lane  (see 
*  Thankfulness  for  Crumbs,'  below)  who  is  nearly  blind, 
who  even  now  recollects  and  quotes  my  dear  father's 
texts  of  more  than  thirty  years  ago.  I  do  not  mean  texts 
of  sermons,  but  what  he  gave  her  when  visiting  her. 
She  was  extremely  delighted  at  my  coming,  and  so  was 
another  old  parishioner  whose  cottage  I  passed  and  went 
in  to  see. 


THANKFULNESS  FOR  CRUMBS.'' 

'  Thy  words  were  found,  and  I  did  eat  them  ;  and  Thy  word  was 
imto  me  the  joy  and  rejoicing  of  my  heart.' — Jer.  xv.  i6. 

An  old  V70man   of  ninety  lives  in   a  lonely   country 

cottage.     It   is   pretty  enough,   half-covered    with  roses 

and  honeysuckle,  but  it  is  years  since  poor  Mrs.  Lane 

has    seen    them  :    she    is    blind.      A    few    years    ago 

*  Leaflet  :  Caswell,  Birmingham. 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1870- 1S75.  105 

ministering  steps  came  often  to  her  door,  but  now  they 
are  silent  for  ever  on  earth,  and  the  httle  garden-path 
is  never  trodden  by  any  lady  visitor.  While  spending  a 
few  weeks  in  the  neighbourhood,  I  went  to  see  her  now 
and  then,  and  at  each  visit  taught  her  a  short  text,  and 
other  young  visitors  did  the  same. 

The  last  time  I  saw  her,  she  repeated  all  the  texts  she 
had  thus  learnt  with  the  greatest  delight.  She  seemed 
to  think  the  possession  of  these  little  texts — only  about 
half  a  dozen — a  perfect  treasure,  and  counted  them  over 
like  pieces  of  gold. 

'Oh  dear,  Miss,  this  summer's  gone  too  quick  for  me; 
it  made  the  lime  pass  so  pleasant,  having  all  them  beau- 
tiful texts.  I  couldn't  tell  you  how  it's  passed  away  the 
time.  There's  "/  ani  poor  and  needy,  but  ilie  Lord 
ihinkcih  upon  vie ;''  there's  a  many  as  don't  think  about 
a  poor  old  blind  body  like  me,  but  the  Lord  does ;  and 
that  must  be  for  me.  Miss,  because  I'm  very  poor,  Miss, 
just  like  it  says  in  the  verse.  And  then  there's  "  When 
thou  pass  est  through  the  waters^  I  will  be  with  thee;" 
that's  my  companion,  I  call  it,  Miss ;  you  wouldn't 
believe  what  company  that  is  to  me,  and  it  seems  to 
take  me  through  all  my  little  troubles  of  every  day ;  I 
don't  think  that's  been  out  of  my  mind  an  hour  since  you 
learnt  it  me.  Ah!  I  know  what  came  next — ^^ Having 
loved  His  own  which  were  in  the  world,  He  loved  them 
unto  the  end;''  that  was  right,  wasn't  it.  Miss?  I 
couldn't  say  it  rightly  at  first,  but  I've  got  it  faster  than 
any  now,  since  you  taught  it  me  over  again ;  that's 
always  my  comfort  when  I  feel  so  sinking  like,  and  I 
think  perhaps  it's  the  end  coming  near,  and  then  He'll 
love  me   unto  the  end.     liut  that  last  one  I  learnt— 


io6  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

"  Thi7ie  eyes  shall  see  the  King  in  His  beauty  ^^ — that  is 
beautiful ;  oh,  it  is  a  beauty  !  My  poor  eyes,  Miss,  that 
can't  see  you,  it  says  they  shall  see  Him;  to  think  of 
that  now  !  well,  to  be  sure  now  ! '  and  the  dear  old 
v/oman's  voice  lowered,  murmuring  on  in  broken  ex- 
clamations of  happy  anticipation,  till  she  seemed  almost 
to  forget  her  visitor's  presence. 

What  a  lesson  of  thankfulness  for  crumbs !  Far  too 
infirm  to  reach  any  service,  no  one  to  read  to  her,  her 
only  companion  being  a  somewhat  graceless  great- 
grandson,  away  at  work  all  day ;  no  treasures  of  earlier 
teaching  to  fall  back  upon,  nothing  but  six  little  texts, 
and  these  filling  the  poor  blind  woman's  heart  with 
comfort,  making  the  lonely  summer  pass  *too  quick,' 
and  being  '  company '  to  her,  night  and  day  !  What  an 
illustration  of  the  satisfying  power  of  the  Spirit's  teaching, 
and  what  a  reproof  to  those  who,  with  access  to  all  the 
full  and  precious  promises  of  the  Word,  give  scanty  time 
and  thought  to  their  appropriation  ! 

And  may  it  not  suggest  the  value  of  trying  to  fasten 
God's  own  words  in  the  memories  of  those  whom  we 
visit?  A  whole  chapter  read  and  explained  may  leave 
a  happy  impression,  but  a  few  words  actually  learnt 
are  often  far  more  useful.  Never  mind  if  the  weak  or 
aged  memory  cannot  at  first  retain  them, — go  over  the 
same  tiny  text  next  time,  and  then  add  another,  and 
by  dint  of  constant  repetition,  it  is  wonderful  how  many 
will  at  last  be  retained,  while  the  increasing  stock  is 
increasingly  valued,  and  becomes  not  only  a  source  of 
fresh,  bright  interest,  but  of  true,  deep  influence  upon 
heart  and  life. 

My  sister  has  a  weekly  reading  with  the  old  women 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1870-1875.  107 

of  a  cluster  of  almshouses,  and  has  for  some  time  pur- 
sued the  plan  of  teaching  them  a  short  text  every  time. 
They  repeat  them  after  her,  over  and  over,  just  like  little 
children,  always  saying  over  in  chorus  all  the  previously- 
learnt  texts ;  and  the  pleasure  which  this  appears  to  give 
them  is  almost  amusing.  Many  of  the  texts  thus  learnt 
have  been  indeed  'songs  in  the  night,'  cheering  long 
hours  of  pain  and  loneliness,  and  giving  new  proof  of 
His  faithfulness,  who  says,  '  My  word  shall  not  return  to 
Me  void.' 

1871. 
It  was  so  good  of  you  to  write  to  me  so  gently  and 
soothingly,  and  yet  faithfully;  you  always  do.  I  write 
pepper,  and  you  write  wine  and  honey.  Oh  !  if  you 
only  knew  how  bitterly  I  grieve  over  my  own  yieldings 
to  my  peculiar  temptations,  I  wonder  He  has  patience 
with  me  any  more.  That  text  touches  the  very  point. 
I  knew  it,  and  felt  it  for  some  time  past,  that  I  was  not 
'keeping  my  own  vineyard,'  always  feeling  so  utterly 
weary  at  night  that  many  nights  I  hardly  prayed  at  all, 
and  the  days  seemed  too  full  to  gain  time  for  what  alone 
can  give  spiritual  strength, — for  when  I  professed  to  go 
and  lie  down,  I  have  nearly  every  day  lately  spent  the 
time  in  writing  my  own  letters,  instead  of,  as  I  used  to 
do,  getting  both  physical  and  spiritual  rest  by  lying  down 
and  reading  the  Bible  part  of  the  time.  So  it  is  no 
wonder  that  all  three  kinds  of  strength  seemed  to  fail 
together.  If  I  come  back  again  to  finish  proof  correct- 
ing, I  must  manage  better,  and  shall  aim  conscientiously 
and  plan  carefully  to  avoid  such  another  breakdown. 
But  though  it  is  so  inconsistent,  it  always  seems  to  me 
that  the  very  fact  of  feeling  as  I  do,  so  utterly  sinful  and 


io8  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

SO  full  of  miserable  failure,  is  just  what  makes  me  a  great 
deal  more  anxious  about  the  other  vineyards,  and  also 
more  eager  for  every  help  I  can  have  for  myself  by  the 
way.  And  it  is  very  often  when  I  am  feeling  the  burden 
of  conflict  and  the  bitterness  of  failure  the  most,  that  I 
am  most  intensely  anxious  about  others,  because  if  the 
battle  is  so  hard  even  with  Christ,  what  must  it  be 
linthoiit  Him  ;  and  so  I  could  give  the  world  to  be  per- 
mitted in  any  way  to  lead  others  to  Him  for  safety,  or 
nearer  to  Him  for  strength.  And  it  is  just  because  I 
feel  so  weak,  and  so  behind  what  I  ought  to  be,  that 
such  things  as  his  Reverence's  suggestions  of  texts  seem 
so  helpful  and  enjoyable.  I  catch  at  them,  not  because 
I  feel  strong,  but  because  I  feel  I  am  such  a  weak 
Christian ;  and  every  failure  only  makes  these  desires 
stronger,  though  they  must  seem  so  inconsistent  with 
them.  I  know  it  must  seem  sometimes  to  you,  when 
I  give  way  so  wrongly  by  pen  (for  that  is  less  easy  to 
restrain  than  even  tongue),  as  if  my  whole  profession 
must  be  just  hollow  and  unreal  because  I  do  not  live  up 
to  it ;  but  oh,  how  I  long  to  do  so  !  I  am  sure  if  God 
deals  with  me  as  I  deserve,  He  will  leave  me  outside  all 
the  Mission  Week  blessing,  though  I  plead  '■even  me,  O 
my  P'ather.'  Do  you  understand  me  ?  It  is  not  easy  to 
put  it  into  words. 

Pyrmont  Villa,  Dtxeuiher  23. 

I  do  so  hope  you  are  better,  and  will  be  able  to  get 
easily  and  happily  through  the  Christmas  time. 

How  strange  it  is,  the  difference  in  one's  poiver,  so  to 
speak,  of  prayer.  Sometimes  one  could  pray  for  hours, 
at  others  one's  very  heart  seems  withered  up,  and  no 
l^rayer  can  flow  out,  even  when  one  mourns  over  it  and 


AXD  HIS  WIFE,  1870-1875.  109 

longs  to  be  able  to  pray.  Is  this,  too,  another  sovereignty 
which  we  have  to  learn,  not  merely  as  one  grand  truth, 
but  in  its  every  detail.  How  is  it  that  you  seem  always 
able  to  pray  ? 

Christmas  '  really  come  again  ! '  Somehow  I  never 
seem  to  have  got  the  full  benefit  out  of  the  Holy  season. 
I  do  so  long  to  realize  more  of  His  unspeakable  love  in 
ever  coming  at  all  to  save  us,  and  of  the  infinite  con- 
descension of  His  taking  our  nature  upon  Him,  and 
becoming  like  unto  us,  that  we  might  be  made  like  unto 
Him. 

Oak  HAMPTON. 

I  wonder  if  you  were  praying  for  me  this  morning,  for 
the  cloud  seemed  lifted,  and  I  could  pray.  You  seem 
always  able  to  pray,  and  I  fancy  you  can  therefore  hardly 
imagine  the  unspeakable  relief  it  is,  when,  after  long 
feeling  as  if  the  very  tongue  of  prayer  clave  to  the  root 
of  one's  mouth,  it  is  suddenly  loosed,  and  one  can  pour 
out  one's  heart  freely  and  fully  and  confidingly.  I  did 
not  feel  well,  and  did  not  go  to  church  (which  is  a  long 
walk)  in  the  morning.  I  went  up  on  the  roof  (which  is 
flat  and  very  pleasant),  intending  only  to  get  five  minutes' 
refreshment  of  cool  air ;  a  chord  had  been  touched  of 
memories  and  trials,  and,  while  musing  over  them,  that 
spirit  of  prayer  which  I  value  more  than  I  can  tell  you, 
came  on  me.  I  forgot  time  and  walked  up  and  down, 
praying  intensely  and  with  not  altogether  sorrowful  tears, 
for  more  than  an  hour — more  than  the  walk  to  church 
would  have  been.  I  am  sure  Jesus  was  drawing  my 
heart  up  to  Himself.  And  I  had  so  much  to  tell  Him, 
so  very  much  to  confess,  so  much  to  ask,  and  so  much 
to  give  thanks  for,  and  so  much  to  say  to  Him  which  did 


no  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

not  come  under  either  of  these.  Oh,  if  I  could  only 
always  be  near  and  find  *  access ' !  Sometimes  it  seems 
as  if  I  could  not  pray  at  all,  even  if  I  kneel  and  cry  for 
ever  so  long;  you  can't  think  how  miserable  this  is. 
Besides,  I  never  seem  able  to  speak  for  Jesus  when  I 
cannot  speak  to  Him  ;  and  then^  as  I  believe  I  have  His 
commission,  '  Let  him  that  heareth  say.  Come,'  I  feel 
such  a  traitor  and  deserter,  and  I  am  *  without  excuse.' 
I  do  so  long  to  rise  to  a  higher  level  of  Christian  hfe. 
It  is  not  that  I  do  not  know,  but  that  I  cannot  grasp  the 
great  truths  to  which  you  point  me,  and  sometimes 
everything  seems  to  melt  away  from  me  altogether,  and 
I  seem  to  have  *  no  part  or  lot,'  etc.  I  can  tell  others 
all  you  tell  me,  but  often  all  these  precious  truths  seem 
to  slip  from  numb  fingers,  and  I  am  left  with  nothing, 
and  can  get  no  comfort  at  all  but  by  beginning  over 
again,  and  coming  to  Jesus,  on  the  strength  of  His 
simplest  and  most  elementary  promises  (so  to  speak), 
coming  as  a  little  child  or  an  utter  sinner. 

Feh-tiary  22,  1872. 
I  wonder  if  you  will  recognise  the  answer  to  your 
prayer  as  sent  in  another  hymn,  '  The  Infinity  of  God,' 
and,  I  think,  higher  form  ?  Strangely  enough  on  Sunday, 
not  a  hymn  but  a  poem  came  to  me, — certainly  one,  I 
think,  of  my  best,  and  among  my  longest, — '  The  Sowers.' 
In  the  course  of  this  (which  I  have  been  giving  leisure 
tim.e  to  for  three  days,  and  hope  to  finish  in  another  half- 
hour  this  afternoon)  I  found  myself  led  suddenly,  and 
by  an  unexpected  turn,  to  the  grandest  attribute,  the 
*  Infinity  of  God,'  and  wrote  a  few  verses  on  that  theme, 
which  are   perhaps  what   you  would   have   liked   as  a 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1870-1S75.  in 

hymn,  only  that  they  did  not  fall  into  that  form,  and 
cannot  be  used  as  such.  Well  now,  what  if  that  was  the 
direct  answer  to  your  prayer,  only  not  for  your  benefit, 
but  maybe  for  the  benefit  of  some  who  will  never  see 
So7igs  of  Grace  and  Glory  at  all,  but  who  may  read  this 
in  some  magazine,  circulating  50,000  or  more  at  a  single 
blow  !     Can  you  accept  this  hymn  as  an  answer? 

Pyrmont  Villa. 
My  daily  calendar ! 

Before  7  a.m.  I  was  ready  dressed,  including  making 

my  bed  (only  one  servant  in  the  house). — 7.30  to  8. 

Read  Greek  Testament,  part  of  Rom.  vii.  and  viii. — 

8  to  8.30.  Wrote  to  Elliot  Stock  about  pirating  my  hymn. 

Copied  new  hymn. — 8.30  to  9.  Prayers  and  breakfast. 

— 9  to  9.45.  Consulted  my  mother  about  letters,  calls, 

and  house  errands,  and  dusted  drawing-room  ! — 9.45  to 

11.45.  ^la-de   copy  of   'My   Singing   Lesson'   for   Mr. 

Bulloch,  and  wrote  to  him;  corrected  a  Fireside  proof; 

looked  over  my  song,  '  "WTiom  having  not  seen,  ye  love,'  ^ 

which  I  am  going  to  publish  at  last  for  the  benefit  of  the 

'  Female  Home '  here ;  wrote  to  Hutchings  and  Romer 

for  estimate  ;  and  wrote  three  letters  about  the  '  Home ' 

fund — a  pretty  stiff  two  hours'  work.     Then  went  to  call 

on,  and  take  out  for  a  walk,  a  young  lady  whom  I  have 

been  asked  to  visit  and  influence,  in  a  very  vortex  of 

worldly  society  and  gaiety.     We  walked  alone,  did  what 

I  could,  and  I  deposited  her  at  her  house  again,  time 

enough   for   dinner,   at    1.45.  —  2.30.    Mrs.    Beresford, 

daughter,    and   friend    called,   partly    about    the    Irish 

^ 'Whom  having  not  seen.'   SacredSong.    Published  by  Hutchings 
and  Romer,  9  Conduit  Street,  London. 


112  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 


Society,  for  which  one  of  them  collects. — 3  p.m.   Wrote 

to  Mr. . — 3.30.  Out  with  my  mother  to  pay  some 

calls  which  ou^zht  to  be  paid.  After  these,  went  on  alone 
to  two  poor  Christian  workwomen,  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
here,  with  a  little  help  for  them  from  a  friend. — Home 
about  5.45 — cup  of  tea. — 6.  Finish  off  two  or  three  notes 
and  parcels  in  time  for  post  at  6.45. 

When  I  have  done  this  I  shall  rest  for  quarter  of  an 
hour,  and  then,  if  not  too  tired,  write  a  little  at  my 
story  till  tea,  7.30. 

P.  Villa,  7.30  a.m.,  February  23,  1S72. 

Here  is  your  hymn  !  I  have  just  finished  copying  it 
out,  and  write  at  once,  that  I  may  run  with  it  to  the 
early  post,  if  it  stops  raining  (it  is  too  far  to  go  if  wet). 
The  verses  came  to  me  almost  exactly  backwards,  in  this 
order — 5,  3,  4,  2,  i  !  beginning  at  the  end.  I  don't 
recollect  ever  writing  dactyls  before ;  but  the  magnificent 
words  in  Ex.  xv.  came  to  mQ  first  as  a  ready-made  line, 
'  Glorious  in  holiness,  fearful  in  praises ' !  and  I  saw  the 
grand  swing  of  it,  and  did  the  rest  to  correspond.  The 
poem  is  more  akin  to  my  Hymn  1025,  'Sovereign  Lord 
and  gracious  Master,'  than  to  this  subject,  upon  which  it 
merely  touches. 

I  think  you  are  simply  tempting  Providence  by  having 
gone  on  in  this  way  without  any  rest  or  break.  I  do  not 
believe  in  '■cannot ;'  for  it  is  not  merely  '  where  there's  a 
will  there's  a  way,'  but  it  will  probably  come  at  last  to 
^rnust,'  and  the  'lull  in  life'  which  you  might  have 
gained  benefit  by  for  yourself  and  others  be  enforced  by 
illness,  which  will  make  it  all  time  lost  instead  of  gained. 
I  feel  very  strongly  about  it,  because  it  is  what  my  best 


AXD  HIS  WIFE,  1 870- 1875. 


friends  usually  distress  me  by  doing,  and  I  will  make  no 
more  friendships  with  people  who  will  commit  slow 
suicide.  There  must  be  physical  retribution  sooner  or 
later. 

A  new  idea  occurred  to  me  in  the  night,  which  I 
wonder  I  never  thought  of  before.  How  would  it  be  to 
have  a  packet  of  '  Leaflets  from  So?igs  of  Grace  and 
Glory ^  by  F.  R.  H.  ?  Parlane  would  do  them  for  notliing, 
and  give  us  probably  six  dozen  packets  of  50  or  60  in 
each.i 

I  was  so  sorry  that  I  lost  a  special  opportunity  of  a 
'  word  for  Jesus '  last  night  I  met  some  strangers  with 
other  friends.  Partly  because  it  was  a  splendidly  resonant 
room,  and  partly  because  I  knew  there  were  some  present 
who  would  sympathize  vividly  with  me,  I  sang  my  music 
to,  '  Whom  having  not  seen,  ye  love.'  I  am  conscious  I 
sang  it  unusually  well  (so  as,  I  am  sure,  you  never  heard 
me  sing  yet).  It  seemed  to  have  an  extraordinary  effect 
on  the  stranger.     He  told  me  he  was  so  unprepared  for 


anything  of  the  sort,  and  that  it  did  not  seem  like  sing- 
ing, but  something  quite  different  (he  implied  preaching) 
— that  he  positively  could  not  speak  for  a  minute  or  two, 
and  I  saw  that  his  eyes  were  moist.  And  yet,  with  such 
an  opportunity, — for  I  believe  I  might  have  said  what  I 
liked  at  that  moment  with  effect^ — I  let  some  little  thing 
break  the  spell  and  divert  my  attention,  and  let  the 
opportunity  slip.  Oh,  I  have  so  regretted  ever  since  that 
I  did  not  at  once  speak  of  Him  and  for  Him  as  I  might 
have  done  ! 

Sometimes  this  losing  any  opportunity  is  overruled  to 

'  Six   rackets   oj    Leaflets,    by    F.    R.    II,      Mcsirs.    Pailaiic   <jc 
Ca.wcll. 


114  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

make  me  more  watchful  for  the  next  opportunity,  but 
that  does  not  lessen  the  fault. 

February  1872. 

There  is  much  prayer  going  on  now  here,  for  a  special 
outpouring  of  the  Spirit.  I  sent  a  paper  about  it  to  the 
daily  prayer  meeting.  It  has  been  read  out  there  every 
day  for  the  last  seven  or  eight  days,  and  most  warmly 
taken  up;  and  this  has  brought  out  the  fact  that  the 
same  thing  is,  in  a  very  special  manner,  in  other  minds 
too — simultaneous  yet  without  communication ;  so  we 
hope  it  preludes  blessing. 

We  are  solemnly  reminded  how  short  and  uncertain 
our  life  is ;  for  within  a  week  two  deaths  have  occurred, 
connected  with  our  family, — Viscount  Mountmorres,  Mr. 
Shaw's  brother-in-law.  He  goes  over  to  the  funeral  in 
Ireland,  Lady  M.  being  his  eldest  sister — a  real  and  tried 
Christian. 

Then  my  brother  Frank  travelled  in  wretched  weather 
to  Alloa,  in  consequence  of  the  Earl  of  KelHe's  death. 
Isabel  was  very  much  attached  to  him  (they  are  cousins), 
and  she  feels  his  death  much. 

I  have  just  had  a  curiously  interesting  letter  from . 


He  says  he  has  formed  a  great  regard  for  me,  and  is 
exceedingly  struck  with  a  poem  of  mine,  which  he  has 
accidentally  come  across.  I  have  replied  in  a  very 
downright  letter,  speaking  plainly  of  '  Jesus,'  as  he  has 
given  me  such  an  opening.  So  possibly  my  visit  the  first 
day  was  not  thrown  away,  though  it  seemed  so  useless. 
I  think  my  having  recently  been  over  the  fortifications 
of  Belfort  interested  the  General,  and  he  seemed  amused 
that  I  had  studied  fortifications  generally  !     He  is  quite 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1870-1875.  115 

the  courtier.  After  two  or  three  calls  on  his  sweet  wife, 
he  came  and  asked  me  to  pray  for  and  with  him ;  it 
seemed  such  humility. 

WlXTERDYNE,  April  1 9. 

I  was  SO  unusually  happy  on  Sunday  and  Monday, 
and  have  not  yet  lost  the  happy  frame.  I  told  my  sister 
Ellen  about  Pro  v.  iv.  ii,  but  I  got  something  else  too. 
I  read  on  Sunday  some  of  Dr.  Candlish  on  the  First 
Epistle  of  St.  /o/m,  and  was  very  much  struck  with  his 
exposition  of  the  'Truly  our  fellowship  is  with  the 
Father.'  I  do  not  think  I  ever  had  any  insight  into  that 
fellowship  before,  though  I  had  dwelt  on  it  as  a  longing 
outsider ;  but  somehow  it  seemed  on  Sunday  eve  to  be  a 
real  thing.  I  felt  it  was  indeed  '  truly,'  and  I  could 
rejoice  in  it.  I  am  so  thankful  to  get  such  glimpses,  for 
I  do  not  have  many,  and  so  I  prize  them  all  the  more. 
But  I  long  to  be  kept  in  '  fellowship.' 

Mr.  Shaw  and  my  sister  speak  often  and  most 
aftectionately  of  you ;  they  do  so  really  value  your 
friendship.  We  have  Songs  of  Grace  and  Glory  hymns 
every  night  at  prayers. 

I  have  been  wanting  to  write  to  you  about  a  crowded 
meeting  we  had  last  Friday — address  by  Captain  Neville 
Sherbrooke,  very  beautiful  and  earnest.  An  '  after  meet- 
ing '  was  held,  and  many  stayed  and  '  found  peace. '  I 
had  never  been  at  one  before  ;  it  was  very  solemn.  I 
wanted  to  remain  quietly  kneeling  and  praying  by  myself, 
but  felt  a  strong  impulse  to  go  and  try  to  speak  to  some 
one,  so  crept  away  and  knelt  down  by  others  and  prayed 
and  talked  with  them ;  the  three  to  whom  I  seemed  thus 
sent  have  all  found  Jesus— tears  changed  to  thanksgiving. 
You  would  not  guess  who  one  was — dear  little  ! 


Ii6  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

She  that  night  really  found  Christ,  and  came  from  the 
room  so  happy,  and  it  is  evident  ever  since  that  she 

*  has  been  with  Jesus.'  She  has  been  thoughtful  and  in 
earnest  on  the  subject  for  a  long  time,  I  think  two  or 
three  years,  but  now  she  knows  she  is  forgiven  and 
accepted.  Another  was  a  young  girl  who  is  fatherless, 
and  so  attracted  my  special  sympathy.  Was  it  not  good 
of  God  to  give  me  this  great  joy  ? 

Mr.  Everard  and  Captain  Sherbrooke  have  promised 
to  come  together  in  the  autumn  and  hold  a  mission  week 
at  Bewdley,  and  the  Rev.  Fortescue  is  so  cordial  on  the 
subject. 

Pyrmont  Villa,  Jime  lo,  1872. 

It  seems  a  long  time  since  I  have  written  to  you,  but 
I  have  forgotten  neither  you  nor  S.  G.  G.  !  I  have  had 
some  correspondence  with  Nisbet  {i.e.  with  Mr.  Watson) 
on  my  own  affairs,  and  he  is  so  extremely  kind  and 
practically  obliging,  not  only  about  the  Mi7iistry  of  So/ig, 
but  about  my  new  book,  that  it  has  inclined  me  to  hope 
very  much  that  you  will  be  guided  to  place  S.  G.  G.  in 
his  hands. 

My  dear  mother  was  very  ill  immediately  after  Frank 
left,  and  she  is  not  getting  on  very  fast  yet.  She  is  just 
able  to  get  across  into  her  study  and  lie  on  the  sofa 
there.  I  do  so  long  for  her  to  be  well  again.  Dear 
Miriam,  L.  C.  has  been  with  us  ;  she  is  so  lovely  and 
so  quiet  and  gentle  that  mother  would  not  have  her  little 
visit  put  off,  though  she  is  not  allowed  to  see  any  one 
else  yet. 

Everything  seems  to  prosper  with  me  as  to  peu.     I  see 

*  The  Sowers '  is  in  the  Sunday  Magazine  for  June.  I 
wish  you  would  look  at  an  article  in  it  on  '  Leisure '  in 


AND  HIS  JVIFE,  1870- 1875.  117 


the  same  number,  by  Dr.  John  Ker,  (who  is  rather  an 
admiration  of  mine).  I  want  you  to  see  what  he  says 
about  the  quiet  influence  of  nature,  scenery,  etc.  I 
beheve  that  is  what  you  and  all  your  party  need,  though 
it  may  not  be  felt  or  recognised  ;  and  that  if  you  went 
to  some  grand  fresh  scenery,  either  British  or  foreign, 
right  away  from  bricks  and  mortar  and  ordinary  humdrum 
routine  of  watering-places,  you  and  Mrs.  S.  would  be 
renovated  altogether,  soul  and  body,  and  E.  would  be 
rosy.     There  !  that  is  my  view,  and  long  has  been. 

I  had  a  little  party  on  Friday,  and  quite  after  my  own 
fashion,  and  it  was  enjoyed  much  more  than  an  ordinary 
party !  We  had  a  good  set-to  at  hymns  soon  after  tea, 
and  then  got  our  Bibles  and  read  and  talked  over  part 
of  Colossians  i.  The  hymns  had  done  all  the  ice- 
breaking  and  thawing  first,  and  so  we  came  to  the 
reading  warmed  up.  I  took  CAre  to  have  just  a  majority 
of  those  who  were  altogether  'of  one  mind,'  and  then 
threw  in  three  or  four  of  those  whom  I  want  to  teach  to 
like  spiritual  things,  and  I  think  these  last  were  quite 
surprised  to  find  how  very  nice  it  was  !  For  it  was  un- 
questionably much  nicer  than  the  common  style  of 
evening  party — just  gossip  and  showing  photographs  and 
listening  to  solo  music.  I  do  positively  believe  that 
nineteen  people  out  of  twenty,  even  without  being  '  very 
religious,'  would  really  enjoy  joining  in  good  rousing 
hymns,  ten  times  more  than  listening  to  any  ordinary 
drawing-room  music.  People  do  not  know  what  they  do 
like  till  one  gives  them  the  chance  !  They  have  tried 
soup  and  fish  and  joints  and  entrees  and  sweets  and 
dessert  and  wine,  but  they  do  not  try  the  other  thing. 
We  are  to  have  a  grand  hymn  spree  (!)  at  Winterdyne 


ii8  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

some  evening  in  the  autumn,  and  you  are  to  come  over 
and  assist !  We  did  try  the  experiment  with  a  party 
there  one  evening,  and  it  was  so  successful  that  every- 
body hoped  Mr.  Shaw  would  invite  them  to  '  another  of 
the  same.'  Somebody  said  it  was  'religiously  jolly ' ! 
which  expression  by  no  means  displeased  me,  because  it 
is  just  what  I  wish,  to  get  people  to  connect  religion 
with  all  that  is  pleasant  and  joyful.  '  Him  serve  with 
mirth ' — do  you  remember  my  asking  you  to  retain  that 
old  reading  ?     I  am  so  glad  you  did. 

WiNTERDYNE,  May  2^,   1 872. 

.  .  .  Plow  strange  that  though  we  prayed  so  much  for 
guidance,  it  should  see7n  to  have  been  withlield  !  Only 
'  sec//i,'  though ;  for  surely  '  I  have  led  thee  in  right 
paths,'  Prov.  iv.  ii,  must  follow  up,  'In  all  thy  ways 
acknowledge  Him,  and  He  shall  direct  thy  paths,'  Prov. 
iii.  6.  '  The  day  shall  declare  it.'  It  may  be  So//^s 
of  Grace  and  Glory  has  fallen  into  some  hands  through 
H.  into  which  it  would  not  have  fallen  into  through 
N.,  and  been  blessed  'unto  salvation.'  I  quite  under- 
stand no7v  about  your  going  earlier  not  answering  the 
same  purpose  as  later — thy  '  times  are  in  His  hands.' 

The  day  I  wrote  that  hymn  I  had  been  particularly 
struck  with  Isa.  xiii.  3,  and  specially  with  the  clause, 
'them  that  rejoice  in  my  highness.'  I  though  it  a 
delightful  expression,  and  one  much  overlooked,  and  so 
preferred  it  to  using  some  expression  which  might  be  less 
fresh  and  suggestive. 

On  Wednesday  a  parochial  party  of  800  came  to  pic- 
nic here, — a  special  train  was  advertised  to  '  the  match- 
less grounds  of  Winterdyne,'  and  a  volunteer  band  came, 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1870-1875.  119 

The  people  so  grateful  and  delightful,  but  heavy  showers 
partly  spoilt  the  day.  (Whereupon  Mr.  Shaw  threw  open 
both  the  drawing-rooms,  and  sent  for  me  to  sing,  '  Tell 
it  out,'  etc.  Even  the  staircase  and  servants'  hall  were 
filled  with  these  strangers.) 

I  fraternized  exceedingly  with  the  Vicar,  who  is  a  very 
hearty,  energetic  little  man,  perfectly  enthusiastic  about 
'  Tonic  Sol-fa,'  evangelical,  and  nice  !  apparently  greatly 
attached  to  his  people,  and  they  to  him.  His  wife  such 
a  worker :  has  a  mothers'  meeting,  and  all  sorts  of  work 
among  the  poor  women — among  other  things  a  mending 
class,  which  took  our  fancy  greatly.  They  have  a 
capital  large  choir,  who  sang  off  my  '  Tell  it  out '  most 
spiritedly.  I  am  quite  sure,  now  I  have  heard  them  sing 
it,  that  it  is  out  of  sight  my  best  musical  hit  as  to  spirit 
and  ring — beats  '  Hermas '  hollow  ! 

The  enclosed,  testimony  to  S.  G.  G.  is  nice  from  the 
Rector  of  Bayton  and  brother  to  *good  old  John 
Davies '  of  Worcester. 

I  have  written  a  new  song,  '  Thou  knowest,'  music 
only,  words  by  Rea ;  and  another,  '  Singing  at  sunset,' 
words  only  (while  walking  with  Mr.  Shaw  among  the 
beeches). 

I  have  also  ^vritten  a  piece  for  Woman's  IVork^  called 
'  A  Worker's  Prayer.'  Also  two  poems ;  but  no  hymns 
seem  to  come  to  me. 

I  enclose  Mr.  Sherwin's  two  last  letters.  Is  not  his 
description  of  the  blind  poetess,  Fanny  Crosbie,  delicious? 

I  have  just  written  a  verse-greeting  to  this  '  dear  blind 
sister  over  the  sea.'  It  seems  I  have  openings  enough 
and  to  spare  for  my  pen,  now  that  America  is  open  to 
me. 


120  LETTERS  TO  A   CLERICAL  FRIEND 


Among  Foxgloves  and  Ferns,  Dolgelly, 
July  S,  1S72. 

...  I  was  terribly  disappointed  at  missing  the  Mild- 
may  Conference  ;  and  am  praying  that  nevertheless,  I 
may  not  miss  the  hoped-for  blessing,  but  that  I  may  find 
and  meet  the  blessed  Master  as  much  alone  in  Wales,  as 
in  the  crowd  at  Mildmay. 

I  have  had  so  much  encouragement  lately,  especially 
in  my  own  special  department, — young  ladies, — that  I 
ought  to  be  very  glad  and  very  thankful.  You,  more 
than  any  one,  taught  me  to  give  thanks.  I  had  a  most 
deeply-touching  interview  with  K.  B.  before  leaving.  I 
ought  to  have  felt  quite  lifted  up  with  praise  for  such 
a  miracle  of  change  in  her,  but  was  too  tired  to 
rejoice  as  I  ought.  I  also  saw  and  had  a  very  nice 
talk  with  A.  B.,  to  whom  '  Another  for  Christ'  primarily 
refers. 

We  were  detained  near  Shrewsbury, — a  goods  train 
had  broken  down  on  our  hne  and  rails  were  obstructed. 
After  sundry  signalling  and  red-fiag  runnings,  we  got 
shunted  on  to  the  other  line,  passing  the  scene  of  the 
break-down,  and  regaining  the  down-line  safely.  It  is 
singular  that  thus,  at  the  very  outset  of  my  journey, — 
just  the  same  as  last  year, — I  had  a  reminder  of  the 
need  of  God's  protection  from  accident.  It  only 
delayed  us  half  an  hour,  and  I  found  Maria  waiting 
for  me  at  Shrewsbury,  and  all  else  was  smooth  and 
prosperous. 

I  enclose  you  the  opinion  of  an  authoress  (a  very 
successful  one,  too)  about  Bruey.  I  see  my  way  to 
Percy,  another  story  for  children,  besides  The  Children  of 
the  Adoptum.     But  I  am  come  to  Wales  for  rest  i 


AXD  HIS  WIFE,  1870- 1875. 


I 


On  a  1 1  ill,  near  Dolgelly, 
July  S,  r-^^,  1873. 

How  I  do  wisli  you  and  Mrs.  B.  were  here.  It 
would  be  something  utterly  new  to  you  both,  and  perhaps 
would  do  you  as  much  good  as  Switzerland,  without  the 
fatigue  and  expense.  Summer  after  summer  goes  by, 
and  you  never  get  any  of  the  restorative  loveliness  laid 
up  among  the  hills ;  and  I  do  long  for  a  summer  to 
come,  when  you  shall  cut  the  old  traditions  of  that  hot 
and  hideous  south  coast,  and  the  towns  that  man  made, 
and  come  and  drink  in  the  beauty  that  'God  made.' 
But  for  once  I  am  very  glad  you  have  been  to  Brighton, 
for  I  am  so  much  pleased  at  your  having  asked  Amy  to 
come.  I  am  extremely  fond  of  her,  and  it  will  be  an 
immense  pleasure  to  have  her  with  me  this  autumn. 

I  have  left  everything  to  the  winds  !  and  have  told 
magazine  editors  that  I  am  not  going  to  be  seen  or  heard 
of  till  my  Songs  of  Grace  and  Glory  work  is  done ;  for  I 
mean  to  devote  this  Welsh  time  to  getting  as  well  as 
possible,  and  as  fresh  as  to  wits  (and  as  to  soul  too,  I 
hope),  as  soon  as  possible,  so  that  I  may  do  my  best  at 
S.  G.  G.  The  only  things  to  pursue  me  are  the  proofs 
of  my  new  book,  and  a  few  magazine  proofs. 

I  hear  most  fervent  accounts  of  the  Conference  on  all 
hnnds — it  must  be  a  wonderful  gathering. 

Maria  and  I  have  been  out  since  a  little  before  8  a.m., 
and  are  gradually  making  our  way  back  to  tea.  We 
camped  from  about  ten  to  one  on  a  hill  commanding  a 
superb  panorama  of  mountains,  with  Cader  Idris  backing 
up  Dolgelly  most  grandly,  and  the  valley  opening  down 
to  Barmouth,  and  a  shining  reach  of  sea  beyond, — most 
lovely  lights  and  shadows  playing  over  the  heights  and 


122  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

slopes,  and  such  delicious  sal-volatile  air,  sea  and  moun- 
tain both.  I  wish  you  knew  the  taste  of  it,  just  for  once. 
If  it  continues  fine  weather,  we  think  of  pushing  on  at 
once  to  Snowdon,  as  fine  weather  is  important  for  that. 
We  have  not  seen  a  single  human  being  since  9.30  this 
morning !  though  after  having  our  hill  camp  we  went  all 
round  by  the  '  Precipice  Walk,'  which  is  one  of  the  finest 
things  in  Wales,  and  only  three  miles  from  Dolgelly. 
I  do  like  it ! 

Pont  Aberglaslyn,  Jtily  9,  1872. 

I  am  enchanted  with  Lord  Shaftesbury's  speech,  and  I 
marked  the  whole  report  very  carefully. 

I  do  not  feel  (as  yet)  anything  like  my  Swiss  strength ; 
still  I  am  much  better,  and  can  walk  seven  or  eight  miles 
in  the  course  of  the  day  without  much  fatigue ;  but  in 
Switzerland  I  could  do  sixteen  or  eighteen  in  the  same 
way  with  less  fatigue.  No,  I  was  not  really  well  when 
you  met  me  at  the  station ;  but  I  thought  you  had  seen 
enough  of  me  to  know  that  I  always  flash  up  and  look 
quite  well  under  the  little  stimulus  of  any  short  meeting 
with  anybody !     But  I  am  ever  so  much  better  now. 

I  am  reading  Isaiah  in  a  '  portion '  the  same  as  I  read 
the  Psalms  last  summer,  and  find  it  very  full  and  beautiful. 
I  think,  thank  God,  I  have  rather  given  up  fidgetting 
and  doubting.  I  really  do  not  see  why  I  should  go 
questioning  the  everlasting  love  to  me  which  has  given 
such  proofs  of  my  portion  in  it,  by  certainly  drawing  me 
with  so  much  loving-kindness.  So  I  have  shelved  that 
doubt,  I  trust  for  ever,  and  am  just  giving  thanks  instead 
for  the  great  things  He  hath  done  for  me.  The  trying 
to  show  these  things  to  other  doubting  hearts  has  done 
me  a  great  deal  of  good.     I  do  not  think  I  ever  got  so 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1870- 1875.  123 

clearly  hold  of  'accepted  in  the  Beloved'  for  myself  as 
the  other  day,  when  trying  to  show  a  dear  girl  who  had 
come  to  Jesus,  and  yet  was  fearing  and  doubting,  that  as 
long  as  John  vi.  37  stood,  she  could  not  be  rejected,  and 
must  therefore  be  'accepted.'  She  grasped  it,  and  so 
did  I. 

The  last  three  evenings  I  have  gone  out  alone  from 
about  six  till  nine,  and  nearly  all  the  time  have  been 
literally  talking  to  the  Saviour.  I  have  so  much  to  tell 
Him,  and  ask  Him  about.  Only  (shall  I  ever  be 
satisfied  ?)  I  want  more  from  Him — I  want  Him  to  speak 
more  to  my  heart.  Sometimes  a  sweet  text  or  thought 
flashes  into  my  mind,  so  powerfully  and  so  independently 
of  any  effort  of  memory,  that  I  cannot  but  take  it  as  His 
speaking  to  me ;  but  then  I  say,  '  Master,  say  on ;  give 
me  more.' 

When  I  come  I  will  tell  you  some  interesting  things 
which  have  passed  lately,  too  long  for  letters  j  but  God 
has  been  letting  me  lead  many  to  Jesus,  and  answering 
prayer  marvellously.  Has  it  ever  struck  you  that  it 
seems  His  way  to  send  such  answers  chiefiy  and  most 
often  in  cases  where  the  interest  is  purely  spiritual  and 
not  at  all  personal,  and  to  send  the  delays  and  trials  of 
faith  in  those  cases  which  are  personally  nearest  and 
dearest  to  us  ?  I  have  noted  this  in  the  experience  of 
many,  besides  my  own. 

I  am  sitting  on  some  heather,  with  a  most  comfortable 
boulder  for  my  back,  just  above  Pont  Aberglaslyn.  We 
left  beautiful  Harlech  this  a.m.,  took  rail  to  Portmadoc, 
and  have  walked  from  thence.  Harlech  really  is 
beautiful, — a  splendid  sea  view  partly  open,  partly  the 
fine  sweep  of  a  great  bay,  with  mountains  all  round, 


124  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

culminating  in  a  very  fine  outline  of  the  Snowdon  range, 
which  is  seen  to  great  advantage.  Then  the  casUe — a 
real  castle,  not  bits  of  old  walls  like  Hastings — stands 
grandly  on  a  prominent  rock,  and  gives  the  touch  of 
humanity  and  romance,  which  is  all  the  place  needs. 
Maria  and  I  had  quite  cosy  little  lodgings, — a  little 
sitting-room,  and  a  bedroom  a-piece,  with  attendance 
and  all  for  15s.  a  week  !  No  end  nicer  than  4  guineas  a 
week  at  that  horrid  Warrior  Square,  with  nothing  to  see 
but  houses  opposite  and  a  sideways  squint  of  the  sea! 

On  a  Rock  on  tlie  Side  of  Snowdon. 
July  27,  1872. 

Your  very  kind  letter  reached  me  all  right  this  morn- 
ing. We  liked  Llanberis  so  much  that  we  did  not  leave 
it  sooner  than  we  could  help,  I  left  this  afternoon  at 
three  (the  morning  was  too  doubtful  as  to  weather),  and 
have  had  a  glorious  w^alk  over  the  top  of  Snow^don,  which 
was  perfectly  clear,  and  down  the  Beddgelert  side,  which 
is  the  only  one  of  the  four  routes  which  I  had  not  done. 
When  resting  on  the  Snowdon  Ranger,  an  ascent  not 
generally  taken,  I  wrote  a  little  poem,  *  July  on  the 
Mountains.' 

I  am  \\\  first-rate  trim  (am  wTitIng  now  at  Port  Madoc, 
Saturday,  10  a.m.),  and  have  walked  without  any  halt 
straight  from  Beddgelert  here;  and  though  glad  to  sit 
down  after  eight  miles'  tramp,  I  am  really  not  tired  !  It 
is  a  glorious  day — it  rained  all  night,  so  the  air  is  like 
crystal  this  morning.  I  do  not  think  even  Anna  Ship- 
ton's  book.  Asked  of  God,  contains  more  marked  answers 
to  prayer  in  little  things  than  I  could  recount — it  is  quite 
marvellous.      Constant  prayer  meets  constant  answer; 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1870-1875.  125 

and  I  do  think  this  is  the  secret  of  the  fact  that  I  seem 

able  to  find  my  way  about  the  mountains  hke  a  Red 

Indian,  even  when  there  is  no  track  at  all.     I  do  not 

recollect  such   a   thing   as   missing   my  way  or  getting 

wrong  by  even  fifty  yards.     I  have  been  all  over  and  all 

round  and  all  about  Snowdonia,  without  ever  taking  any 

guide,  which  most  people  do  even  for  the  straightforward 

beaten  route  up  from  Llanberis  to  the  top.     Maria  is  a 

first-rate  walker ;  but  sometimes  I  go  alone,  or  she  meets 

me  on  the  way. 

WiNTERDYXE,  November  13,  1S72. 

...  I  am  getting  on   rapidly  and   delightfully  with 

my  volume  {Under  the  Surface).     I  cannot  write  a  hymn 

on  the  '  Good  Master,'  but  He  has  just  given  me  something 

else  instead — 

'  Thou  nrt  coming,  O  my  Saviour  ! 
Thou  art  coming,  O  my  King  !' 

There  will  be  just  ninety  poems  and  hymns,  and  the 
book  will  be  one-fourth  larger  than  Ministry  of  Sonj^'-j 
though  I  have  left  out  heaps  more.  Mother  is  delighted 
with  my  Swiss  cantata,  T/ie  Mountain  Maidens. 

I  have  just  received  a  letter  from  the  author  of  the 
Old^  Old  Stor}\  pressing  me  to  publish  my  Hints  to  Lady 
Mission  Workers  (Nisbet  &  Co.). 

I  do  so  like  your  thoughts  of  the  temple-service.  I  fancy 
it  will  help  me  over  some  of  the  hewing  and  chopping, 
which  cannot  be  very  congenial  work  anyhow !  O  yes,  I 
do  take  to  that  view  generally,  othenvise  I  never  should 
have  stuck  to  this  work ;  only,  when  not  feeling  so  strong 
as  usual,  it  gets  overclouded,  and  I  only  see  the  worry 
and  drudgery  of  proofs  present  and  to  come.  If  I  could 
have  one  week's  rest  altogether  from   proofs,   I  could 


126  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

take  the  young  ladies'  meeting;  but  if  an  extra  treble 
quantity  of  proofs  come  every  day,  I  simply  cannot  do 
the  two  things. 

We  were  glancing  over  individual  results  of  the  Mission 
Week ;  and  it  is  a  very  remarkable,  and  perhaps  an 
unusual  fact,  that,  so  far  as  any  of  us  know,  there  has 
been  literally  no  chaff  with  the  wheat  of  Mr.  Snepp's 
work  here — not  one  single  person  who  gave  apparent 
evidence  of  conversion  has  even  in  any  degree  gone 
back,  but  rather  gone  forward.  I  do  not  speak  of  those 
who  merely  attended  the  meetings,  and  seemed  some- 
what solemnized  and  impressed,  but  of  every  one,  old 
and  young,  whom  we  had  any  reason  to  suppose  really 
came  to  Christ.  So  much  the  contrary,  that  the  number 
has  increased  instead  of  lessened ;  as  we  know  of  several 
who  were  first  aroused  during  the  Mission  Week,  but 
found  no  peace,  and  who  since  that  have  pressed  on  into 
the  kingdom.! 

Your  telegram  just  come,  dearest  Mrs,  .     It  is 

easier  to  pray  than  to  write,  when  one  would  give  the 
world  to  bring  one  touch  of  comfort ;  for  one  feels  how 
helpless  one  is,  and  one  knows  how  strong  and  able  He 

1  Many  dying  testimonies  have  confirir.ed  F.  R.  H.'s  words.  In 
1885,  F.'s  sister  was  standing  by  a  dying  Led,  and  repeated  the 
text,  'Yea,  I  have  loved  thee  with  an  everlasting  love.'  The  dying 
voice  answered,  *  Those  were  the  last  words  Miss  F.  Havergal  said 
to  me  in  th.e  Mission  Week  (1872).  She  had  worked  among  our 
choir  men  and  boys.  It  was  the  last  night,  and  I  shall  never  forget, 
when  we  rose  from  our  knees,  how  she  put  her  hand  on  my  shoulder 
and  said,  "  Bryan,  here  is  a  last  verse  for  you,  ^  Yea,  I  have  loved 
thee  with  an  everlasting  love.'"  She  said  more  about  "that's  com- 
fort for  all  the  way  ;  "  but  I  can't  be  sure  of  her  words— but  God's 
word  is  true  to  me  now.  I  never  can  forget  Mi.ss  F.  in  our  organ 
\o{\.:—M.V,G.H. 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1870-1875.  127 

is  to  speak  comfort — even  now.  Oli  may  He  be  very, 
very  near  indeed,  and  prove  His  word  to  you  as  He  has 
so  remarkably  done  before,  *  When  thou  passest  through 
the  waters,  I  will  be  with  thee.''     I  am  so  thankful  dear 

was  not  away.     I  wish  I  were  with  you ;  not  that  I 

could  be  any  good,  but  only  that  I  do  so  feel  for  you 
in  this  tremendous  loss  and  sorrow.  But  that  precious 
verse  has  now  another  glorious  fulfilment ;  for  '  Thou 
hast  made  her  most  blessed  for  ever;  Thou  hast  made 
her  exceeding  glad  with  Thy  countenance.'  She  is  all 
that  to-day. 

Yours  very,  very  lovingly,  and  in  deepest  sympathy. 

December  16. 
How  could  you  think  about  my  birthday  vvhen  you 
were  in  such  grief?  Thank  you  very  much  for  the 
parcel — such  beautiful  pheasants  and  flowers.  It  was  so 
kind  of  you.  Let  me  write  to  you  when  I  feel  inclined, 
without  feeling  that  it  is  only  taxing  you  to  answer. 
For  I  know  how  wearying  it  is  to  have  to  write  when 
one  is  all  unhinged,  and  so  I  want  you  not  to  do  it.  It 
vras  such  a  solace  to  see  your  husband  yesterday.  I 
meant  only  to  think  of  his  great  sorrow,  and  he  was  just 
as  ready  as  ever  to  enter  into  ours.  You  both  have  tliat 
great  gift— 

*  A  heart  at  leisure  from  itself, 
To  soothe  and  sympathize.' 

How  our  verse  will  gain  in  force  and  meaning  as 
earthly  losses  multiply !  '  Thou  hast  made  them  most 
blessed  for  ever.'  It  will  be  more  and  more  to  us,  till 
He  makes  us  most  blessed  for  ever. 

I  send  you  a  wee  hymn,  '  Jesus  only ' : — 


128  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 


'  Jesus  only  ! '     In  the  shadow 

Of  the  cloud  so  chill  and  dim, 
AVe  are  clinging,  loving,  trusting, 

He  with  us,  and  we  with  Him; 
All  unseen,  though  ever  nigh, 
'  Jesus  only ' — all  our  cry. 

II. 

*  Jesus  only  ! '     In  the  glory. 
When  the  shadows  all  are  flown. 

Seeing  Him  in  all  His  beauty, 
Satisfied  with  Him  alone  : 

May  we  join  His  ransomed  throng, 

'•  Jesus  only' — all  our  song  ! 

With  the  disciples  who  feared  as  they  entered  into  the 
cloud,  it  was  '  Jesus  only '  when  the  cloud  was  past.  But 
don't  you  think  that  for  us  it  is  '  Jesus  only,'  in  the  cloud 
as  well  as  after  it  ? 


{To ) 

Is  it  not  strange  ?  I  had  so  feared  lest  I  might  wander 
or  grow  cold  here,  where  there  is  no  external  help  what- 
ever, and  yet  God  has  been  so  wonderfully  good  to  me 
(my  own  classes  and  readings  being,  I  think.  His  especial 
means  of  grace  to  my  own  soul !),  that  I  think  I  have 
never  yet  had  a  time  of  such  continued  peace  and  joy  and 
communion  with  Jesus.  Sometimes  I  feel  so  near^  and 
nearly  always  able  to  realize  Him  as  my  very  nearest 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1 870- 1 875.  1 29 

and  dearest  Friend — more,  I  think,  than  ever  in  my  life 
before.  I  quite  marvel  at  it.  Prayer  and  His  Word 
seem  just  unspeakably  sweet  to  me,  and  I  have  never 
before  felt  so  much  freedom  and  joy  in  speaking  of  and 
for  Him. 

My  Friday  class  has  increased  to  twenty,  and  some  of 
the  most  unlikely  and  hitherto  careless  seem  the  most 
really  touched  and  awakened;  and  none  of  my  other 
readings  or  classes  seem  left  without  blessing.  I  cannot 
tell  you  how  I  long  to  live  more  entirely  to  Him ;  yet,  in 
the  light  of  His  felt  love  and  presence,  it  seems  as  if  one 
could  not  do  other  than  live  to  and  for  Him. 

WiNTERDYNE,  September  17,  1873. 
May  to-morrow  be  bright  among  many  and  most  happy 
coming  '  returns  of  the  day,' — bright  to  yourself  and  to 
your  dear  ones,  a  golden  milestone  on  the  homeward 
path.  Excuse  pencil — I  write  from  bed,  where  I  have 
been  ever  since  I  got  back  from  the  station  on  Saturday 
afternoon !  Sudden  cold  and  exhaustion ;  but  I  am 
better.  We  all  hope  that  dear  Mr.  Snepp  may  not  suffer 
from  his  wonderful  work  here  last  week.    How  strange  it 

was  that,  after was  to  have  had  the  lion's  share,  and 

he  only  to  have  opened  the  work,  God  should  have  given 
him  the  whole  burden  and  the  whole  reward !  It  has 
been  what  I  have  heard  of,  believed  in,  and  prayed  for, 
but  never  yet  saw  in  its  full  extent, — a  real  *  shower  of 
blessing,'  felt  and  seen  and  manifest  and  unmistakeable. 
My  sister  has  come  up  just  now  saying,  'Verily  there  is 
great  joy  in  that  city ' ! — in  house  after  house  greeted 
with  tears  of  joy  either  by  those  who  have  found  peace 
in  Jesus  for  the  first  time  for  themselves,  or  who  are 

I 


130  LETTERS  to" A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

rejoicing  over  dear  ones,  long  prayed  for  and  now 
brought  into  the  fold.  I  cannot  describe  the  intense, 
tremendous  solemnity  at  some  of  the  services,  nor  the 
power  which  accompanied  the  Word.  I  can  only  say,  my 
brightest  hopes  and  prayers  as  to  the  possibilities  of  a 
Mission  Week  are  all  fulfilled  at  last.  I  beHeve  that  the 
'  ingathering '  of  this  week  may  be  deliberately  reckoned 
as  *  hundreds  added  unto  the  Lord.' 

I  am  most  anxious  to  have  a  very  earnest,  solemn,  and 
useful  hymn  meeting  (my  last)  on  Thursday  night.  I  am 
told  it  will  be  crowded,  and  I  want  to  make  the  very 
most  of  the  opportunity.  Will  you  pray  for  special 
blessing  oh  it,  and  also  that,  if  it  be  His  will,  I  may 
have  physical  strength  for  it,  and  freedom  from  pain  ? 

October  1873. 

Very  many  thanks  from  my  mother  and  self  for  the 
most  lovely  flowers.  They  were  too  good  to  keep  all 
to  ourselves,  so  two  dear  invalid  friends  shared  them, 

.  .  .  Do  pray  for  me,  that  my  little  preliminaries  at 
Liverpool  may  be  blessed,  even  as  I  pray  that  your  work 
may  be  blessed.  How  sad  and  strange  it  was  that  I  felt 
so  '  far  off '  all  the  while  in  Switzerland  !  and  how  good 
it  is  of  the  Lord  to  have  let  me  again  come  '  nigh  by  the 
blood  of  Christ,'  and  to  have  so  restored  to  me  the  joy 
of  His  salvation  all  this  summer  ! 

I  am  so  thankful  that  God  has  heard  my  prayer  also 
in  taking  away  all  that  sense  of  excitement  which  I  had 
while  in  Switzerland,  and  the  subsequent  sense  of  anxiety 
and  depression ;  so  that  I  have  not  only  the  joy,  but 
with  it  a  fiar  more  earnest  desire  to  work  for  Him.  It 
was  a  great  drawback  to  my  enjoyment  of  Switzerland, 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1870-1875.  131 

that  I  had  not  the  same  fervent  desire  to  work  for  Hi  in 
that  I  had  when  there  with  Ehzabeth  Clay,  nor  any  of 
the  restful  and  quiet  peace  and  communion  which  gilded 
my  former  tour.  But  utterly  unworthy  as  I  am  of  any 
'  restoration,'  He  has  now  again  given  it  to  me,  and  all 
this  time  I  have  been  very  happy  in  Jesus.  I  do  not 
know  how  to  thank  Him  enough  for  this. 

I  sang  my  hymn,  'Will  ye  not  come  to  Him  for  life?' 
to  150  young  people  and  milliners  last  night.  Some 
really  did  '  come '  at  once. 

.  .  .  Will  you  look  at  my  hymn  on  '  Sanctified  '  in  the 
last  week's  Christian.  It  completes  the  catena  of  seven 
in  my  book  ( Uiider  the  Surface) — *  Chosen,'  '  Called,' 
'  Justified,'  '  Sanctified,'  '  Joined  to  Christ,'  '  Presented 
Faultless,'  '  Glorified.'  You  have  them  all  for  Songs  of 
Grace  and  Glory. 

As  soon  as  I  can — to-morrow,  if  pain  permits — I  shall 
set  steadily  to  work  at  my  hymn  papers,  i.e.  '  Specimen 
Glasses,'^  for  The  Day  of  Days.  I  enclose  a  rough  list  of 
what  I  thought  of  taking.  Some  of  the  best  of  the  less- 
known  hymns  in  Sotigs  of  Grace  afid  Glory  stand  alone, 
or  nearly  so,  under  their  author's  name  (e.g.  957);  so  I 
mean  to  have  about  four  miscellaneous  papers,  grouping 
writers  instead  of  grouping  hymns,  and  giving  a  specimen 
hymn  or  two  of  each. 

I  have  been  so  happy  all  day,  even  in  intense  and 
incapacitating  neuralgic  pain. 

Yours  in  prayerful  hope  of  greater  things. 

^.  *  Specimen  Glasses,'  Home  Words  Office,  i  Patemostei 
Buildings. 


132  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

EccLESTON  Hill,  October  1873. 

Many  thanks  for  forwarding  letters  and  for  your 
prayers.  I  was  wonderfully  helped  on  Saturday  evening. 
The  people  are  the  roughest,  lowest  lot  I  ever  came  in 
contact  with,  and  much  depended  on  a  good  start  with 
them.  So  as  there  were  going  to  be  proposals  made 
to  them  about  clubs  and  doctors  and  mutual  help,  I 
began  with  a  popular  song,  the  burden  of  which  is,  '  Do 
your  best  for  one  another ; '  and  after  singing  a  verse  or 
two,  I  called  upon  the  assembly  to  join  in  the  *  chorus' 
after  each  verse !  This  took  wonderfully,  and  they 
encored  it  furiously  !  So  I  sang  it  again,  with  chorus. 
So  my  point  was  gained,  and  as  soon  as  the  next  song 
was  announced  they  cheered  heartily.  I  am  quite  sure 
I  never  sang  more  tellingly  in  my  life  than  '  He  shall 
feed  His  flock,'  and  *  Come  unto  Him.'  Mr.  Menzies 
introduced  it  with  a  few  nice  words,  and  I  had  all  that 
rough  lot  listening  all  through  in  utter  stillness.  I  felt  I 
had  them  so  in  my  power  that  I  could  shade  off  into  the 
softest  notes  and  yet  be  heard  all  over  the  great  place, 
which  holds  900.  The  silence  and  breathless  attention 
would  have  been  remarkable  anywhere ;  but  fancy  these 
poor  wretches,  who  certainly  never  heard  anything  but 
the  lowest  songs  before  !  Mrs.  Menzies  got  twenty-seven 
of  them  to  come  to  her  '  reading '  last  night. 

My  little  gospel  solo,  '  Will  ye  not  come  to  Him  for 
life?'  seems  blessed.     (See  Appendix.) 

I  am  so  grieved,  though  not  surprised,  to  hear  of  your 
suffering;  only  I  do  pray  the  Lord  to  spare  you  any 
more  ! 

All  that  we  hear  goes  to  confirm  the  joyful  certainty 
that  the  work  here  was  indeed  a  very  great  one ;  and  one 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1870-1875.  133 

remarkable  thing  is,  that  some  who  held  aloof  and  would 
not  go  even  once  to  hear  you,  are  now  stung  with  remorse 
at  having  neglected  such  an  opportunity.      Never  has 

Bewdley  been  so  stirred  before.     Mr.  's  class  last 

night,  where  he  reckoned  on  only  fifteen  or  twenty,  was  a 
room-full !  I  hear  he  spoke  most  impressively,  and  that 
the  attendance  is  likely  to  keep  up. 

Did  you  know  that  while  you  were  speaking  in  the 
schoolroom,  Maria  was  addressing  more  than  100  men 
and  boys  outside,  for  whom  there  was  no  room  inside  ? 
They  stood  in  the  dark  lane  for  more  than  an  hour 
listening  to  her.  Mr.  Shaw  says  he  has  heard  her  when 
she  did  not  know,  and  her  power  and  ability  are  very 
remarkable  in  that  line.  My  sister  says  she  will  try  to 
carry  on  the  young  ladies'  class  which  I  am  hoping  to 
form.  So  with  new  classes  and  a  prayer  meeting,  that 
makes  five  new  means  started. 

Mr.  Shaw  intends  putting  three  or  four  new  hymn 
books  in  every  pew,  and  adding  a  large-type  copy  in  each 
where  there  is  any  elderly  regular  occupant.  Each  book 
will  have  the  number  of  the  pew  written  in  it  for  security. 
There  are  100  pews  and  some  extras,  so  he  will  give 
about  330  copies  of  Songs  of  Grace  and  Glory. 

Just  had  such  a  touching  letter  from  my  Oakhampton 
class,  with  an  exquisite  Church  Service  and  thim.ble  !  and 
all  their  signatures,  except  the  young  ladies,  who  have 
not  been  consulted  !  Poor  dear  girls,  God  has  sent 
greater  blessing  among  them  than  I  ever  saw  before; 
and  I  hardly  realized  how  great  till  I  read  the  names 
one  by  one,  and  felt  that  I  had  full  reason  to  hope  that 
every  one  had  now  joined  themselves  wholly  to  tlie 
Lord,  —  about    twenty  -  five    of  them,  —  and  nearly    all 


134  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

have  found  Jesus  for  the  first  time  within  the  last 
month  ! 

WiNTERDYNE,  Bewdley,  Novcnihcr  20. 

About  Cheltenham,  you  know  how  glad  I  should  be 
to  be  aide-de-camp  to  you  there,  but  I  am  quite  clear 
that  I  must  not  think  of  it.  I  am  not  strong  enough  for 
another  Mission  Week,  and  though  I  would  not  grudge 
the  usual  penalty  of  such  work,  yet  I  really  do  not  think 
I  am  right  to  risk  another  of  the  series  of '  knockings- 
up '  which  have  always  followed  any  special  work  of  the 
kind.  One  gets  weakened,  and  ground  is  lost  which  I 
may  not  regain;  and  now  that  such  marvellously  wide 
doors  are  open  to  my  pen,  both  here  and  in  America,  I 
have  an  extra  motive  to  try  to  economize  strength,  not 
for  myself,  (at  least,  I  don't  want  it  to  be  at  all  for  my- 
self), but  for  my  Master.  You  know  how  I  enjoy  it,  and 
I  can't  tell  you  the  self-denial  it  has  been  to  refuse  foul 
such  calls  in  the  last  fortnight,  but  I  am  sure  He  is 
saying  to  me  now,  '  Be  still'  It  is  much  harder  to  say, 
'  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  not  have  me  do  ? '  than  the  other 
question. 

I  have  some  more  good  news  for  you  about .     I 

have  seen  some  of  girls,  and  I  think  the  fruit 

'remains.'  They  are  holding  little  prayer  meetings  among 
themselves,  (young  ladies'  school),  on  the  plan  you  recol- 
lect my  telling  them  of;  not  one  but  several  little  groups 
meet  together  and  read  and  pray  !  They  are  most  eager 
to  see  '  dear  Mr.  Snepp '  again, — the  work  among  them 
has  evidently  been  most  real,  and  apparently  not  one  of 
the  whole  school  has  been  *  passed  over '  in  the  shower 
of  blessing. 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1870-1875.  135 

Then,  do  you  recollect  George  ? — that  nice  lad 

whom  you  spoke  to  on  that  night,  who  always  stayed 
till  the  very  last,  and  always  in  such  distress  ?  This  has 
continued  ever  since.  I  was  very  anxious  to  see  him 
again,  but  could  not  till  Sunday.  I  had  him  alone,  and 
again  he  cried  most  bitterly.  I  was  sure  he  had  really 
come  to  Jesus,  only  he  didn't  know  it !  So  I  said  a  little 
to  him  about  'accepted  or  rejected,'  must  be  one  or 
other  if  he  came  at  all ;  and  could  Jesus  have  '  rejected,' 
with  John  vi.  37  so  plain?  then  he  must  be  actually  and 
truly  '  accepted  in  the  Beloved  ! '  I  wish  you  could  have 
seen  him — he  suddenly  looked  up,  his  face  still  stream- 
ing with  tears,  but  lighted  up  with  intense,  eager  joy — 
-'  Oh,  I  didn't  know  that  before  ! '  '  But  you  see  it  now  ? ' 
And  I  wish  you  had  heard  his  fervent  '  Oh  yes  ! '  He 
went  away  rejoicing,  and  looks  a  different  boy  now  the 
great  cloud  is  gone.  He  is  clearly  one  of  your  Mission 
fruits,  for  he  told  me  he  never  thought  of  seeking  Jesus 
at  all  till  the  Mission  Week. 

Mr.  Fortescue  says  that  even  if  he  has  to  preach  to 
empty  benches,  he  should  still  have  to  bless  God  to  the 
end  of  his  days  for  the  Mission  Week  !  I  think  those 
who  were  '  offended '  will  come  back,  while  meanwhile 
their  places  have  been  much  more  than  filled  up  by 
others ;  the  galleries  are  crowded  now. 

Thanks,  many,  for  your  prayers  for  my  new  book.  It 
is  almost  ready  now.  You  never  said  whether  or  not 
you  hked  the  title,  Under  the  Surface.  I  don't  think  I 
shall  escape  a  few  criticisms,  for  some  reviewers,  who  so 
approved  the  Ministry  of  Song^  will  not  be  so  well 
pleased  with  such  things  as  *  Chosen  in  Christ ' !  How- 
ever,  I  really  think  and  hope   that  a  candid   literary 


136  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

opinion  would  think  it  rather  an  advance  than  a  retro- 
gression from  the  Ministry  of  Song,  I  mean  as  to  Hterary 
merit ;  so  I  ought  not  to  mind  getting  cut  up,  if  it  is 
indeed  for  His  sake. 

Mr.  Shaw  is  going  to  give  an  account  of  what  he  saw 
and  heard  at  Cheltenham,  instead  of  his  usual  Bible- 
reading  to-morrow  evening — we  hope  it  will  be  very 
useful.  He  has  come  back  very  full  of  »S.  G.  G.  !  '  more 
than  ever  convinced  that  it  is  Number  One,'  and  appears 
to  have  spoken  his  mind  pretty  freely  as  to  the  inferiority 
of  the  hymns  and  the  singing  at  Cheltenham. 

He  says  that  the  Rev.  H.  E.  Bickersteth's  sermon  on 
'  Thou  God  seest  me,'  and  Rev.  C.  B.  Snepp's  on  Eph. 
i.  7,  are  spoken  of  as  t/ie  two  sermons  of  the  week,  as  far 
as  he  could  hear.  Odd  that  among  so  many,  it  should 
be  the  two  hymn  editors  that  should  have  been  thus 
marked.  How  the  tide  seems  gathering  strength ! 
Perhaps  it  is  only  beginning,  and  '  greater  things '  are  yet 
to  be  seen. 

WiNTERDYNE,  December  5,  1873. 

Many  thanks  for  your  note  and  most  interesting 
enclosure.  Poor  child,  surely  she  will  not  be  left  to 
wander  on  such  dark  mountains ! 

Is  it  not  strange  and  sweet  ?  God  always  gives  me 
what  I  always  ask  for — a  special  'afterward,'  either  of 
spiritual  blessing  to  myself  or  to  others,  for  every  special 
little  trial.  And  so  somehow  I  felt  that  the  really  agoniz- 
ing toothache  and  neuralgia,  which  lasted  two  or  three 
days,  would  have  some  'afterward,'  and  it  made  even  the 
greatest  pain  actually  sweet  to  bear.  And  this  time  I 
have  had  a  double  'afterward'  —  one  for  myself,  so 
marked  and  so  sweet,     I  cannot  tell  you  about  it  now, 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1 870-1 8; 5.  137 

only  I  have  never  had  a  brighter  or  more  remarkable 
one.  The  other  was  my  '  hymn  meeting '  last  night.  I 
never  have  enjoyed  anything  so  much  of  the  sort,  not 
only  that  I  felt  so  happy  myself,  but  that  I  never  before 
was  able  to  speak  out  quite  as  I  did  last  night,  just  as  if 
God  gave  me  the  '  words  for  Jesus.'  And  this  morning 
I  have  heard  that  one  who  was  present  received  such 
great  blessing,  and  was  enabled  to  rejoice  then  and  there 
ill  Jesus  as  she  never  had  done  before. 

Yesterday  morning  I  had  Mr.  Shaw's  men  and  my 
sister's  boys,  twenty  all  together,  and  took  '  Seeing  Jesus ' 
as  my  subject,  starting  from  John  xii.  21,  only  glancing 
on  the  seeing  by  faith  now,  but  dwelling  on  the  future 
seeing  Him  :  (i)  The  certainty;  (2)  the  contrasted  effects 
— glory  and  joy  to  His  own,  terror  and  woe  to  others ; 
(3)  How;  (4)  When;  (5)  Results;  (6)  'Seeing  that 
these  things  are  so,  what  manner  of  persons  ought  ye  to 
be?'  I  did  enjoy  it  so  much,  and  all  were  so  attentive 
and  bright  and  keen  in  finding  passages  and  catching 
ideas,  and  so  still  and  solemnized  when  I  tried  to  make 
it  all  real  to  them,  as  indeed  I  felt  it  myseh. 

I  forgot  to  tell  you  my  chain  looks  beautiful,  and  of 
course  I  always  wear  it,  and  always  call  it  my  Songs  of 
Grace  and  Glory  chain  ! 

Christmas  Day. — Your  beautiful  letter  was  a  great 
pleasure ;  many,  many  thanks.  God  does  answer  your 
prayers  for  me  ;  ever  since  last  July  things  have  been 
different  with  me,  and  this  month  all  is  even  gloriously 
bright.     I  have  never  felt  as  I  do  now. 

I  have  just  been  delighted  in  tracing  a  sort  of  type  in 
Luke  V.     One  has  so  long  'toiled  in  rowing,'  wearily 


1 38  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

seeking  holiness,  wearily  striving  to  blend  one's  will 
really  with  the  Lord's,  yet  seeming  to  have  taken  almost 
nothing.  Then  comes  '  Launch  out  into  the  deep,'  deep 
sea  of  His  promises  !  And  at  His  word  we  do  it ;  and 
let  down  the  net,  not  in  the  shallows  any  more,  but  into 
the  deep  of  His  great,  grand,  full,  enormous  promises. 
And  one  finds  one's  net  filled.  Oh,  how  He  does  fill  it ! 
Every  bit  of  restless  longing  for — one  hardly  knew  what 
— taken  away,  and  instead,  '  satisfied  with  His  goodness.' 
Do  you  know,  I  deliberately  thought  that  could  not  be 
fulfilled  to  me  in  this  hfe ;  I  never  expected  it  at  all,  and 
yet  He  has  done  it  for  me — just  'satisfied  me.'  I  do  not 
mean  that  this  wonderful  sense  of  utter  rest  and  satis- 
faction precludes  sight  of  and  desire  for  more  than  I 
even  thought  there  was  to  be  desired ;  but  this  is  one  of 
the  paradoxes  of  faith  which  experience  solves.  Then, 
though  one  does  not  say,  '  Depart  from  me,'  yet  oh  how 
one  endorses  the  rest  of  Peter's  cry !  I  do  not  know 
how  one  could  bear  the  clearer  sight  of  the  sinfulness 
without  the  clearer  sight,  too,  of  the  Precious  Blood  and 
its  full  cleansing  power.  I  had  only  learnt  half  of  i  John 
i.  9,  but  oh  how  precious  the  '  and '  now  is  !  Then,  '  they 
forsook  all  and  followed  Him.'  One  would  like  to  die 
for  Him,  but  He  has  not  asked  that !  So  one  wants  to 
live  for  Him;  and  there  seems  to  me  a  breadth  and 
depth  in  that  word  which  I  never  saw  before.  It  could 
never  be,  but  that  we  are  not  only  to  live/?/-  Him  but  to 
live  in  Him  and  He  in  us.  And  the  outcome  of  the 
'in' will  be  the  'for.' 

An  external  need  has  been  wonderfully  supplied.  I 
heard  Mr.  Rogers,  the  clergyman  that  is  to  be  of  St. 
Paul's,  and  it  was  no  question  of  merely  liking  him,  but 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1870-1875.  139 

of  very  deep  thankfulness  for  such  a  spiritual  provision 
for  us,  after  all  our  ecclesiastical  troubles  and  dissatisfac- 
tion in  Leamington.  It  was  certainly  more  than  I  ever 
expected  \Yhen  I  was  last  at  home,  that  the  next  time  I 
went  to  church  it  would  be  to  sing  out  of  Songs  of  Grace 
and  Glojy  ;  so  it  was  very  nice  to  see  the  blue  covers  all 
over  the  church  on  entering  St.  Mary's,  Rev.  T.  Bromley's. 

I  shall  send  you  some  New  Year's  verses,  '  From 
Glory  unto  Glory,'  which  will  tell  you  more  than  I  have 
time  for  now.  Several  times  lately  I  have  felt  literally 
overwhelmed  and  overpowered  with  the  realization  of 
God's  unspeakable  goodness  to  me.  I  say  it  de- 
liberately, and  with  thankfulness  and  joy  for  which  I 
have  no  words ;  I  have  not  a  fear,  or  a  doubt,  or  a  care, 
or  a  shadow  of  a  shadow  upon  the  sunshine  of  my  heart. 
Every  day  brings  some  quite  new  cause  for  praise ;  only 
to-day  He  has  given  me  such  a  victory  as  I  never  had 
before,  in  a  very  strong  temptation,  lifted  me  above  it  in 
a  way  I  never  experienced  yet.  And  I  believe  He  will 
'  keep '  me  henceforth  as  I  never  before  believed 
possible. 

Will  you  give  my  love  to  dear  Mrs. ,  and  many 

thanks  for  the  beautiful  studs  and  Christmas  books  } 

Easier  1874. 

I  must  just  write  you  a  line,  for  to-morrow's  early  post, 
to  tell  you  what  a  singularly  and  specially  happy  Easter 
Sunday  I  have  had.  Oh,  it  is  so  real  and  satisfying,  this 
wonderful  blessing  which  He  has  given  me,  this  '  life  of 
faith  j'  test  after  test  seems  to  have  been  sent  during 
these  last  four  months. 

And  now  this  day,  which  I  thought  must  always  be 


140  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

more  or  less  a  sorrowful  one,  (her  father's  dying  seizure), 
with  always  a  shadow  upon  the  Easter  brightness,  has 
been  one  of  the  very  happiest  of  my  life.  I  awoke 
wondering  at  the  sense  of  gladness,  and  I  have  wondered 
all  day !  For  it  is  not,  distinctly  not,  that  memory  has 
dulled,  or  that  the  loss  of  my  father  can  ever  be  other 
than  great,  for  I  suppose,  except  husband  and  wife,  no 
tie  could  be  stronger ;  certainly  it  was  my  strongest  tie, 
and  it  all  seems  like  yesterday.  And  yet  this  depth  of 
bright  peace,  and  utter  gladness  of  heart  in  the  joy  of 
being  so  consciously  and  closely  and  altogether  His,  and 
'all  for  Him,'  shone  away  every  bit  of  the  shade,  and 
every  vestige  of  'shadow'  did  indeed  'flee  away.'  Now, 
could  any  but  Jesus  do  this  for  me?  I  know  that 
nothing  but  Himself  could  have  so  filled  such  a  void. 
Oh  if,  instead  of  arguing  and  reading  books  pro  and  con, 
folks  would  but  seek  the  fulness  of  the  blessing  which  is 
to  be  had ! 

I  never  had  such  a  view  as  to-day  of  the  blessedness 
of  the  '  evermore '  of  consecration.  I  had  asked  Him  to 
show  me  more  of  the  meaning  of  '  utterly,'  and  '  only,' 
but  I  had  not  so  much  thought  about  'Thine  utterly, 
and  only,  and  evermore  to  be  ! ' 

In  full  and  glad  surrender,  we  give  ourselves  to  Thee, 

Thine  utterly,  and  only,  and  evermore  to  be  ! 
O  Son  of  God  vi'ho  lovest  us,  we  will  be  Thine  alone, 
And  all  we  see  and  all  we  have  shall  henceforth  be  Thine  own. 

Oh,  it  was  so  sweet,  so  glorious  to  see  something  of 
that,  the  being  His  very  own,  the  serving  Him  and 
pleasing  Him,  the  being  utterly  at  His  disposal,  and  with 
Him,  and  in  Him,  and  all  for  Him,  on  and  on  through 
ages  and  ages  of  eternity.     My  whole  heart  said,  '  Whom 


AND  HIS  WIFE,  1870- 1875.  141 

have  I  in  heaven  but  Thee  ?  and  there  is  none  upon 
earth  that  I  desire  beside  Thee  ! ' 

It  has  been  such  a  special  day,  that  I  cannot  help 
hoping  it  may  have  been  given,  not  for  myself  only,  but 
to  prepare  me  for  some  special  message-bearing,  perhaps 
only  to  one,  perhaps  to  many,  while  I  am  away.  But  I 
never  feel  eager  even  for  that  now ;  it  is  so  much  happier 
to  leave  it  all  with  Him,  and  I  always  pray,  '  Use  me. 
Lord,  or  not  use  me,  just  as  Thou  wilt.'  Oh,  He  is  so 
good  to  me,  I  did  not  really  expect  He  would  do  so 
much  for  me ;  indeed,  I  really  did  not  know  six  months 
ago  that  such  unvarying  peace  was  possible  here.  I  tell 
you  all  this  because  you  said  you  would  pray  for  me 
to-day;  and  if  this  is  not  an  abundant  answer  to  whatso- 
ever you  have  been  praying  for  me,  I  don't  know  what 
it  could  be  !  Only  I  wish  everybody  had  it,  and  I  wish 
good  people  would  not  think  it  their  duty  to  stay  in 
Romans  vii.,  as  I  always  conscientiously  believed  till  of 
late  !  I  cannot  imagine  how  they  can  think  that  Rom. 
vii.  25  and  Rom.  viii.  2  could  both  describe  St.  Paul's 
experience  at  the  same  moment.  They  seem  so  clearly 
consecutive  and  not  contemporaneous.  So,  '  Thanks  be 
to  God  which  giveth  us  the  victory,  through  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ !' 

WiNTERDYNE,  March  5,  1875. 

Will  you  pray  that  patience  may  have  her  perfect 
work  in  me,  and  that  I  may  glorify  God  in  pain  ?  It  is 
very  keen,  sometimes  seems  almost  more  than  I  can 
bear,  especially  at  night ;  this  goes  to  retard  my  recovery 
considerably.  I  had  advanced  to  being  able  to  creep 
across  the  room,  now  I  am  carried  again  from  bed  to 
sofa. 


142  LETTERS  TO  A  CLERICAL  FRIEND 

No,  dear ,  not  '  resignation  ! '     It  is  brighter  and 

sweeter  than  that — it  is  *  rejoicing  \ '  even  in  this  terrible 
pain  I  could  not  have  imagined  that  He  would  have 
made  me  so  perfectly  satisfied  and  really  overflowingly 
happy  in  whatever  His  faithful  love  appoints,  even  such 
real  and  almost  constant  suffering  as  I  have  had  these 
eleven  days  past, — never  had  such  pain  before  except  for 
a  single  day  or  night.  '  He  giveth  songs  in  the  night,' 
and  all  along  has  enabled  me  not  to  sigh  but  to  sing, 
'  Thy  will  be  done.'  '  Resignation '  always  sounds  to  me 
to  have  a  shade  of  a  sigh  left  in  it.  You  can't  think  how 
glad  and  thankful  I  am  that  He  has  enabled  you  to  say 
the  same  as  to  the  postponement  of  your  work.  I  have 
no  doubt  but  that  it  will  prove  to  be  all  right  in  the  end; 
delay  in  such  a  matter  may  so  obviously  turn  out  to 
have  been  for  the  good  of  the  work,  and  save  another 
appendix ! 

There  is  One,  so  fair,  so  bright, 
So  good,  so  gracious  !     Love,  and  Life,  and  Light 
Are  His  rich  titles.     Oh,  for  Him  I  long 
To  be  my  Hope,  my  Joy,  my  Strength,  my  Song  ! 
Earth's  shadow  melts  in  conquering  light  away 
Before  the  rising  Daystar's  earliest  ray. 

Hast  thou  not  heard,  within  some  sacred  pile. 

When  hushed  the  swelling  choir,  through  vaulted  aisle, 

A  sweet  low  echo  lingering  of  the  song, 

As  would  angelic  harps  the  sound  prolong? 

So  through  the  silent  chambers  of  my  soul, 

In  calmest  melody.  Thy  sweet  words  roll. 


DIVISION    IV. 


LETTERS  WITHOUT  DATE. 


Leamington. 
You  DEAR  Little  Thing, — I  call  your  Bruey  card 
quite  touching,  it's  real  right-down  fag,  and  I  appreciate 
it  ten  times  more  than  if  you  had  got  ;^5  in  nothing  but 
gold ;  and  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  the  Master 
Himself  takes  the  same  view  of  it !  The  increase  is 
delightful,  and  quite  surprised  me.  I  am  sure  you  have 
done  what  you  could,  and  I  don't  expect  more  than 
that !  Neither  does  our  dear  Master,  who  knows  all 
the  difficulties  and  hindrances  that  arise  in  our  bits  of 
work  for  Him — every  one  of  them.  Do  not  think  I  have 
not  thought  of  you  all  this  while ;  if  I  had  not  been  so 
very  ill,  you  would  not  have  had  more  attempts  to  com- 
fort and  cheer  from  any  one.  Perhaps  I  have  only 
thought  all  the  more.  I  think  I  can  realize  what  you 
have  felt  and  gone  through  more  than  you  think.  And 
you  have  felt  more  for  others  than  for  yourself,  I  know. 
It  is  always  a  little  harder  lesson  to  entrust  our  dear 
ones  entirely  to  His  wise  dealing,  than  ourselves.  But 
He   is   doing  just    the  very   best,   the   absolutely  rii^ht 


144  LETTERS  WITHOUT  DATE. 

things  for  every  single  one  of  you,  all  the  time.  He 
knoweth — He  careth — He  loveth,  all  of  you  all  the 
time. 

I  have  been  worse,  i.e.  in  much  greater  suffering, 
since  your  Aunt  M.  wrote,  but  am  much  easier  this 
week.  It  is  nearly  five  months  since  I  was  taken  ill ! 
but  it  has  been  all  light,  no  shadow  in  it,  only  a  new 
test  of  His  faithfulness,  as  I  am  sure  every  trial  will 
prove  to  be,  to  you  as  well  as  to  me. 

Perhaps  some  day  A.  may  be  your  'crown  of 
rejoicing!'  Did  not  you  like  Jeremiah  xxxii.  17,  27 
ever  so  ? 

Pyrmont  Villa,  March  3. 

My  darling  Little  Thing, — It  never  dawned  on  me 
yesterday  that  it  was  going  to  be  your  birthday  to-day  ! 
I'm  so  sorry.     The  twenty-first   too — no  longer  a  legal 

*  infant,'  which  you  were  yesterday  !  Well,  darling,  may 
you  grow  in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.     Do  not  be  standing  still,  dear ;  He  says. 

*  My  sheep  follow  Me,'  and  follow  means  going  on,  not 
stopping.  I  want  you  to  follow  faithfully,  fully,  and 
fast — all  three  !  And  of  course  A.  says,  '  All  very 
well  for  good  folks,  but  I'm  different,  /can't.'  ^o, yoit 
can't ;  but  then  Jesus  is  able — able  to  do  it  all  for  you 
and  in  you.     Let  Him. 

I  am  writing  now  because  I  asked  you  to  pray  for 
my  classes,  and  I  have  never  had  so  much  blessing 
before,  so  you  must  praise  now.  He  '  hath  not  left  Him- 
self without  witness '  in  either  of  my  four  classes,  but  my 
Friday  evening  class  is  specially  blessed.  I  have  now  24 
young  women  (of  various  grades),  though  in  this  country 


LE  TTERS  VVITHO  UT  DA  TE.  145 

place  I  was  told  there  was  really  no  material  at  all  for 
such  a  class.  But  many  walk  from  long  distances. 
Last  Friday  I  had  a  most  wonderful  time  of  blessing ; 
it  was  my  fifth  week,  and  I  had  tried  to  lead  on  and 
up  to  what  I  did.  I  threw  off  every  attempt  at  more 
interest — broke  off  my  lesson  in  the  middle,  and  made 
it  a  heart  to  heart  personal  'now  or  perhaps  never' 
appeal.  I  never  in  all  my  life  so  felt  Christ's  actual 
presence  with  us,  nor  saw^  such  intense,  perfectly  breath- 
less attention  ;  nearly  all  were  in  tears.  Then  I  asked 
all  who  really  wanted  to  close  with  Christ's  offer  of 
salvation  then  and  there  to  stay  wath  me.  Eleven 
stayed.  I  asked  them  to  kneel  and  remain  kneeling, 
and  then  I  prayed  for  and  with  them — not  continuously, 
but  with  intervals  of  silence,  leaving  them  with  Jesus. 
Then  I  went  softly  round  to  every  one,  so  softly  as  not 
to  disturb  even  the  one  kneeling  next,  asking  my  Master 
to  give  me  the  right  word  for  each.  Reserve  seemed 
broken ;  every  one,  even  the  shyest,  whispered  freely  what 
they  felt ;  four  found  Him  then  and  there  with  perfect 
joy  and  freedom ;  four  more  seemed  no  less  really  to 
have  come  then  to  Him,  only  did  not  speak  quite  so 
strongly;  two  more  who  had  come  before  were  filled 
with  quite  new  peace  and  conscious  nearness,  and  only 
one  of  the  eleven  went  away  unsatisfied,  and  yet  even 
she  certainly  was  not  '  sent  empty  away,'  for  her  desires 
were  greatly  intensified  to  find  Jesus.  Of  those  whom 
either  shyness  or  promise  to  be  home  prevented  from 
remaining,  I  have  not  yet  seen  all ;  but  of  those  whom 
I  have  seen  or  heard  from,  not  one  seems  'left  out.' 
Two  or  three  '  went  out  and  wept  bitterly '  for  sin ; 
one,  '  never  saw  what  a  sinner  she  was  before.'     Another 

K 


146  LE  TTERS  WITHO  UT  DA  TE. 

has  \vritten  most  touchingly  to  me ;  another  went  home 
to  pray  for  the  very  first  time ;  and  so  great  was  the 
blessing,  that  I  fully  expect  I  shall  find  it  the  same  witli 
the  remaining  four  or  five,  whom  I  have  not  yet  been 
able  to  see.  .  .  .  See  now  how  truly  God  does  answer, 
and  how  marvellously  He  has  answered  this  prayer.  I 
have  never  had  such  full  and  sudden  blessing  before. 
.  .  .  And  now  will  you  pray  that  still  more  may  come, 
• — that  those  who  have  not  yet  found  may  find,  and  that 
the  new  members  of  my  class  may  not  miss  the  blessing 
by  their  later  journey?  Will  you  pray  that  I  may  have 
special  and  clear  guidance,  what  subject  to  take  for  next 
Friday  ?  Will  you  pray  that  the  two  girls  I  mentioned 
may  really  be  brought  to  Christ?  because  though  all 
souls  have  equal  value,  I  covet  the  influence  of  their 
position,  and  long  to  have  it  used  for  Christ.  Will  you 
pray  that  though  there  seems  no  one  to  carry  it  on  when 
I  leave,  some  way  may  be  opened  for  them  to  keep 
together,  and  have  at  least  a  monthly  meeting  for  read- 
ing and  prayer  among  themselves  ?  And  will  you  ask 
your  sister,  and  any  other  Y.  W.  C.  A.  members  to  pray 
fervently  that  the  work  may  be  increased  and  deepened  ? 
And  that  my  other  classes,  Sunday  morning,  Sunday 
evening,  and  Monday  evening,  and  a  large  choir  practice 
on  Wednesday  evening  (which  gives  me  opportunity 
among  men  and  boys,  whom  I  could  not  otherwise 
reach),  may  all  be  blessed  too  ? 

Now  dear,  for  glorious  news !     Dear has  indeed 

given  himself  to  Christ  *  in  full  and  glad  surrender ! ' 
outspoken,  overflowing  joy  in  the  new  and  blessed 
service.      It  is  enough  only  to   see  his  face  !     Wish  I 


LE  TIERS  IVITHO  UT  DA  TE.  147 

could  Stay  to  tell  you  all  about  it.  He  told  his  father 
early  on  the  morning  of  his  birthday  (told  me  at  eleven 
o'clock  the  night  before  !),  and  when  his  father  met  me 
he  could  not  speak  for  joy — he  just  said,  'O  Fanny!' 
and  cried  !  They  have  all  been  so  happy  together,  and 
we  have  had  such  sweet  little  times  over  our  Bibles.  It 
is  so  different  when  every  one  is  entirely  of  one 
mind.  ]\Iademoiselle  was,  I  think,  a  help,  her  influence 
is  so  decided  and  so  spiritual ;  since  you  went  she  has 
shone. 

And  now,  when  shall  it  be  '  full  and  glad  surrender ' 
of  yourself  to  Jesus  ?  When  shall  it  be,  not  '  How  much 
for  Jesus  ?'  but  'all  for  Jesus  '  ?  '■Rise!  He  calleth  thee!^ 
'  Arise,  shine  ! '     Dearie,  when  ? 

My  poor  dear  Little  Thing, — I  have  forgiven  and 
will  try  io  forget  that  letter.  And  Jle  forgives  and  forgets 
too,  because  He  loves  so  tenderly.  Perhaps  we  only 
feel  the  deep  tenderness  of  that  love  through  the  con- 
sciousness of  failure  and  sin.  I  don't  think  the  angels 
can  realize  it  as  we  do.  Now  one  can  only  pray  that  it 
may  be  overruled  for  all  of  you.  Do  not  vex  about  it. 
God  can  and  does  bring  real  good  out  of  mistakes,  and 
blessing  out  of  suffering.  I  know  He  will  so  comfort 
and  bless  His  own  dear  child  E.,  that  she  will  be 
a  blessed  gainer  by  it.  But  her  suffering  is  perhaps  a 
harder  lesson  of  patience  and  trust  for  you,  dear  little 
thing.  Pray  for  her  and  trust  for  her,  and  you  will 
have  a  share  of  the  blessing  that  God  means  for  her. 

I  have  just  sent  off  about  380  little  bouquets  to  the 
Flower  Mission  at  Mildmay,  210  of  which  were  gathered 


148  LE  TTERS  WITHO  UT  DA  TE. 

and  made  up  by  the  servants  at  Oakhampton  !  the  rest  by 
various  nieces  and  young  friends.  The  servants  took  to 
the  notion  with  regular  enthusiasm — it  was  quite  deh'ght- 
ful !  I  could  not  do  much  but  set  the  thing  going,  and 
probably  got  more  helped  than  if  I  had  been  able 
to  gather  ad  lib.  myself!  Some  of  the  nosegays  were 
lovely,  and  the  ensemble  when  got  together  ready  to 
pack,  was  quite  a  sight. 

I  see  no  scriptural  ground  to  suppose  sin  can  ever  be 
'eradicated,'  i.e.  so  destroyed  that  it  would  not  instantly 
revive  if  the  cleansing  and  the  keeping  were  withdrawn, 
and  we  ran  from  under  the  wing  of  Jesus,  as  Mr.  Everard 
phrased  it. 

I  had  not  got  very  much  out  of  the  Word  for  a  few 
days,  so  I  asked  Him  to  send  me  something  special,  and 
lit  upon  Luke  v.  4-1 1.  'The  deep'  of  His  promises, 
and  the  '  toiling  all  night,'  and  the  '  at  Thy  word,' — it  is 
lovely. 

My  path  would  be  a  hopeless  dilemma,  but  for  trust  in 
momentary  guidance. 

.  .  .  This  is  only  a  scrap  to  wish  you  all  good  things 
for  the  New  Year.  For  *  all  are  yours,'  so  how  safely  we 
may  wish  it  to  one  of  His  dear  ones.  My  pen  has  just 
involuntarily  paused  for  a  few  moments — such  a  thrill 
came  over  me  of  thinking  how  He  Xovo.'s,  you — how  He 
could  not  do  without  _>w/ — how  His  very  glory  would  be 
incomplete  not  merely  without  you  in  heaven,  but 
without  the  glory  which  you  are  ordained,  and  made  on 
purpose  to  bring  to  Him  here.  And  you  will  guess  that 
my  heart  does  not  love  you  the  less  for  this  strange 
sudden  glimpse  of  how  He  loves  you  !  .  .  . 


LE  TTERS  WITHO  UT  DA  TE.  149 

Very  many  happy  returns  of  the  day  to  you  !  I  send 
you  '  As  ye  have  received  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  so  walk 
ye  in  Him.'  Will  you  let  that  as  and  so  often  come  into 
your  thoughts  through  this  year?  It  will  be  a  test  and  a 
stimulus,  and  perhaps  a  help  towards  my  finding  much 
to  commend  and  little  to  blame  when  I  come  again  ! 
You  know  how  pleasant  it  was  to  me  to  find  it  so  the 
last  time !  And  I  do  not  think  that  He  who  loves  you 
and  gave  Himself  for  you  can  take  less  interest  in  your 
'  walk '  than  I  do  ! 

Your  letter  to is  very  nice  indeed,  and  quite  the 

best  tack  to  go  upon  with  her.  Singularly  enough,  some 
one  of  whom  I  had  often  heard  has  been  staying  here 
two  days,  and  who  at  the  same  age  was  much  such 
another.  She  was  telling  me  deeply  interesting  accounts 
of  how  for  years,  she  went  off  upon  all  these  new 
doctrines,  how  utterly  she  believed  them,  fancying  she 
had  been  led  into  them,  after  wrestling  for  whole  nights 
in  prayer  and  tears ;  and  how  earnestly  she  tried  to 
persuade  others.  Now,  after  keen  and  deep  trials  she 
has  fully  come  back  to  the  old  paths,  and  bitterly  regrets 
these  wanderings,  only  that  she  thinks  they  may  help 
her  to  help  others  who  are  similarly  restless.  I  wished 
you  could  have  met  her — it  would  have  strengthened  you, 
I  think ;  and  she  is  a  person  of  very  unusual  power  and 
knowledge,  taking  large  Bible  classes.  I  was  so  astonished 
at  all  this,  having  heard  so  much  of  her  in  her  former 
phase,  and  not  having  heard  of  her  return  to  quiet,  steady 
Church  of  England  doctrine.  The  enclosed  may  help  you 
if  you  hear  hasty  things  about  the  Church  of  England,  and 
the  Bennett  Judgment — read  it  carefully  to  please  me  ! 


150  LE  TTERS  WITHO  UT  DA  TE. 

Yes,  dearest,  seek  Jesus  only,  seek  Him  in  His  Word 
and  in  prayer,  just  Himself^  and  you  will  find  it  a 
thousand  times  more  profitable.  I  was  cutting  out  hymns 
the  other  day,  and  could  not  help  cutting  out  this  old 
verse  with  reference  to  all  you  told  me  of  your  long 
earnest  wrestlings  : 

'  Were  half  the  breath  thus  vainly  spent, 
To  heaven  in  supplication  sent, 
Your  cheerful  song  would  often  be, 
"  Hear  what  the  Lord  has  done  for  me  !  " ' 

Meanwhile,  I  do  so  thank  God  that  He  has  kept  }'ou, 
for  it  is  indeed  a  'keeping.' 

I  am  delighted  at  your  reading  with ;  it  will  be 

better  for  both  of  you,  and  you  will  find  it  both  more 
interesting  and  easier  to  persevere  in.  Only  I  hope  you 
have  some  other  book  in  hand  to  read  by  yourself  as 
well.  I  do  not  think  any  book  will  seem  so  difficult  to 
you  after  you  have  mastered  Butler's  Analogy, 

My  poor  darling,  do  not  stay  away  from  His  table, 
because  you  are  feeling  something  of  the  unworthiness 
and  sinfulness  which  we  all  have  to  find  out  in  our- 
selves. You  do  want  to  come  to  Jesus,  to  be  really  His, 
to  follow  Him — I  know  you  do.  And  the  holy  com- 
munion is  just  to  remind  us  of  His  death,  to  be  2, pledge 
of  His  love,  which  is  just  what  you  do  want  to  be 
reminded  of,  do  you  not?  And  feeling  sorrowful  and 
sinful  is  all  the  more  reason  why  you  may  come.  Not 
that  I  want  to  dissuade  you  from  dealing  very  plainly 
with  yourself :  <7;2>'//?///^  is  better  than  false  peace ;  but  the 
Lord  Jesus  has  true  peace  for  you — go  to  Him  for  it. 


I 


LE  TTERS  WITHO  UT  DA  TE,  151 

just  as  if  you  had  never  gone  before — lay  your  heart  quite 
open  before  Him,  '  tell  Him  all  you  feel  and  all  you  do 
not  feel,'  and  look  for  the  answer  not  in  your  own 
heart  and  feelings  (perhaps  that  has  been  your  mistake), 
but  in  His  Word.  See  what  He  says,  and  take  that 
as  His  answer,  for  His  Word  cannot  change  or  pass 
away. 

I  have  been  waiting  for  days  expecting  my  friend  to 
send  me  mottoes  for  1868;  they  are  only  just  come — 
'  And  now,  Lord,  what  wait  I  for  ?  My  hope  is  in 
Thee,'  and  'Surely  I  come  quickly.'  Will  you  take 
them  for  yourself,  dearie?  For  our  hope  needs  to  be 
only  in  Thee,  and  we  want  to  learn  to  wait  for  Him  and 
for  nothing  else.  And  ought  not  the  remembrance  of 
His  '  surely '  to  stir  us  up  to  watchfulness  and  earnest- 
ness, and  to  lead  us  on  to  such  expectant  love  that  we 
may  be  able  to  give  the  blessed  answer,  *  Even  so  come, 
Lord  Jesus  1' 


{To  M.  K) 

Shareshill  Parsonage. 

If  I  had  forgotten  my  promise  of  writing  to  you,  the 
'  Cead  mille  failthe,'  which  smiled  at  me  on  my  return 
home  would  have  reminded  me  of  it.  But  I  did  not 
intend  to  forget !  Your  love  finds  indeed  '  Cead  millc 
failthe '  in  my  heart.  .  .  . 

How  I  should  like  you  to  see  my  children  (nieces). 
Both  are  rather  pretty  and  very  tall;  Evelyn,  though 
only  twelve  last  birthday,  is  just  my  height.  She  has 
been  very  delicate  for  a  long  time,  and  can  seldom  do 


1 52  LE  TTERS  WIT  HO  UT  DA  TE. 

regular  lessons.  ...  I  do  think  God  has  begun  His 
own  work  in  her,  though  very  gradually,  and  that  He 
will  carry  it  on.  She  feels  her  delicacy  very  much, 
specially  as  it  keeps  her  back  in  her  lessons,  and  occa- 
sions frequent  disappointments  as  to  little  pleasures  ;  but 
this  training  is  evidently  good  for  her,  and  I  think  she 
is  beginning  thus  early  to  spell  the  great  lesson, '  Thy  will 
be  done.' 

She  is  very  thoughtful  and  active  in  mind,  and  has  a 
curious  liking  for  any  sort  of  theological  questions,  so 
that  often  I  am  obliged  to  go  into  things  with  her,  for 
the  sake  of  setting  her  mind  at  rest,  which  I  should 
hardly  have  expected  to  converse  about  with  girls  of 
eighteen  or  twenty.     Last  summer,  a  story  book  of  Miss 

S ,  of  very  High  Church  tendency,  was  given  her, 

which  I  was  sorry  for,  but  could  not  help.  She  knew  I 
did  not  like  the  book,  and  asked  why.  I  merely  said, 
that  if  she  read  the  book  as  a  mere  story,  she  might  not 
notice  the  evil  in  it ;  and  so  I  supposed  and  hoped  it 
would  do  her  no  harm,  but  that  she  had  better  show  me 
any  passages  which  she  felt  doubtful  about.  Well,  I 
don't  think  there  was  one  error  but  what  she  discovered 
and  showed  me,  perceiving  the  tendency  of  many  fair- 
sounding  passages  with  an  acuteness  which  surprised  me, 
remarking  at  the  end  that  she  thought  the  tendency  of 
the  whole  book  was  to  make  one  think  that  our  salvation 
depends  rather  on  what  we  can  do  for  ourselves,  or  what 
the  Church  can  do  for  us,  than  on  what  the  Lord  Jesus 
has  done,  which  was  hitting  the  very  mark.  Connie  is  sharp 
enough  at  lessons,  but  has  not  the  same  sort  of  develop- 
ment as  E.  She  is  a  remarkably  handy  and  active  child, 
can  turn   her  hand  to  anything,  and   has   a  wonderful 


LE  TTERS  J  VITHO  UT  DA  TE.  153 

notion  of  what  is  the  right  thing  to  do  at  once  in  any 
little  mishap.  She  is  very  bright  and  merry  and 
energetic.  C.  has  a  little  class  at  the  Sunday  school, 
and  flatters  herself  that  she  shall  get  the  children  on 
wonderfully,  so  that  Minny  '  will  see  the  difference ' 
when  they  go  up  into  her  class.  She  teaches  them  a 
Bible  story  every  Sunday  out  of  Line  upon  Line,  and  I 
wanted  her  to  make  a  point  of  asking  them  the  nice  little 
questions  upon  it  at  the  end  of  the  book;  but  she  soon 
after  declined  them,  saying  '  she  found  the  children 
understood  best  what  she  asked  them  out  of  her  own 
head  ! '  She  has  a  strongly  practical  turn  of  mind,  contra- 
distinguished from  Evelyn's  poetical  one;  an  amusing 
instance  thereof  was  at  the  time  of  the  earthquake, 
which  we  felt  so  strongly  at  O.  two  years  ago  :  her  first 
remark  about  it  was,  '  I  wonder  if  it  has  shook  any 
peaches  down?'! 


{To  M.  F.) 

Yours  is  a  strangely  tried  life,  dear  M.;  it  seems 
wonderful  that  so  much  should  be  laid  upon  you. 
Somehow  I  always  feel  it  so  much  harder  to  see  that 
trouble  or  suffering  is  right,  and  best  for  others  than  for 
one's  self.  I  think  one  sees  one's  own  'needs-be '  better 
than  other  people's.  If  yours  is  a  pre-eminence  of 
suffering,  there  must  also  be  pre-eminence  of  love  and 
care.  I  have  thought  of  you  lately,  when  our  little  J. 
was  so  ill,  how  though  the  others  were  poorly,  yet  a 
double,  treble  portion  of  thought  and  watchfulness  was 
given  to  him,  because  he  was  more  suffering  than  they. 


154  LE  TTERS  WITHO  UT  DA  TE. 

And  I  loved  to  think  what  special  love  must  be  hovering, 
brooding  over  your  many  trials.  Join  me  in  thinking  of 
I  Pet.  i.  5,  8  to-morrow  evening  at  seven  o'clock.  Some 
day  I  will  sing  it  you ;  the  passage  has  haunted  me  so  that 
I  must  set  it  to  music.  How  I  wish  I  knew  all  that  you 
know  of  the  'joy  unspeakable' !  What  a  marvellous  bit 
that  is — '•  the  trial  of  your  faith  being  much  more  pre- 
cious/ etc. 

I  am  so  glad  your  'joy-bells  '  of  music  definition  reached 
me  in  time  to  add  to  the  list ;  it  is  the  prettiest  of  all.  I 
wondered  no  one  considered  what  music  is  to  the  blind, 
so  I  am  going  to  put  '  Sunshine  for  the  sightless.'  I  am 
not  good  at  definitions,  but  why  did  not  some  one  speak 
of  music  as  being  the  only  universal  language,  understooil 
by  men  of  every  tongue,  and  by  the  angels  too  ?  It  is  a 
sort  of  alphabet  of  the  language  of  heaven  too,  not  any 
more  equal  to  it,  of  course,  than  an  A  B  C  book  is  to 
Milton,  but  a  sort  of  introduction.  At  least  it  ought  to 
be  so.  Trench  (referring  to  a  different  subject)  says 
something  about  the  manifold  provisions,  which  Infinite 
Love  has  made  for  the  finer  needs  of  our  nature,  and  I 
think  music  is  one  of  the  strongest  instances  of  that. 
Why  should  such  a  mysteriously  subtle  and  unaccount- 
able gratification  have  been  provided  for  us?  Verily, 
He  is  Love  !  Finally,  I  give  you  an  analogy  to  think  out 
— that — between  light  and  music,  or  say  rather  between 
colour  and  music. 


{To  M.  F.) 

Your  sweet  and  most  lovely  card  v/as  one  of  the  rays, 
which  helped  to  cheer  an  otherwise  sorrowful  birthday, 


LE TTERS  WITHO UT  DA  TE.  155 

and  came  as  a  message  from  the  One  who  cannot  pass 
away.  May  it  come  back  to  your  heart,  dear  M.,  with 
its  strong  consolation. 

Don't  you  enjoy  Pleasant  Fruits'}^  It  is  such  fun,  I 
think,  as  well  as  edification  ! 

I  am  bringing  out  a  Scotch  song,  '  Scotland's  Wel- 
come,' anent  the  royal  marriage,  which  I  rejoice  in — 
don't  you  ? 

Now  tell  me  whether  you  have  seen  Hints  on  Bible- 
viarking^  by  Mrs.  Stephen  Menzies,  because,  if  you  have 
not,  I  will  send  it  to  you.  The  plan  was  not  new  to  me, 
but  I  am  very  glad  it  is  issued — chiefly  thanks  to 
Moody. 

Does  not  His  Word  open  out  more  and  more,  as  the 
years  go  on  ?  One  feels  greedy  of  every  bit  that  one 
seems  to  get  hold  of  for  oneself  I  so  often  look  for- 
ward and  wonder,  *  What  next.  Lord  ?  '  what  will  be  the 
next  unexpected  shining  upon  a  text,  or  golden  thread 
put  into  one's  hand  to  string  many  upon  ?' 

I  am  so  glad  you  have  our  Y.  W.  C.  A.  reports.  I  do 
so  enjoy  our  meetings.  Of  course  when  I  am  at  home, 
I  never  write  any  *  remarks,'  because  I  strike  in  with  one 
here  and  there  at  the  meetings.  The  outline  and  chief 
part  is  always  by  our  dear  little  secretary,  Miss  M. 
Watson.  Why  don't  you  put  in  'remarks'?  I  am  sure 
He  does  not  fail  to  give  you  '  new  thoughts  of  God ' — 
why  not  contribute  them  ?  I  don't  often  get  any  now — 
the  rush  of  the  tide  of  life  seems  a  little  too  strong  and 
too  noisy  for  me — I  am  not  very  strong  yet,  and  can't 
quite  keep  pace  with  things  in  general.  The  'calling 
^  Pleasant  Fruits,  by  M.  V.  G.  H.     Nisbet  &  Co. 


156  LE  TTERS  WITHO  UT  DA  TE. 

apart '  was  an  enormous  blessing  to  me,  I   would  not 
have  missed  it  for  anything. 

I  send  Ezek.  xl.  4.  I  have  been  most  immensely 
struck  with  it — note  the  three '' thines^  2cci^  the  vaguely 
grand  ^  all  that  I  shall  show  thee,' and  the  significance 
of '  brought  hither,'  and  the  climax  of  command.  It  is 
so  full  of  suggestion  for  ourselves. 


Oakhampton. 

Dearest  Mother, — You  must  have  wondered  I  did 
not  write  yesterday,  but  we  went  to  Worcester  early — 
such  a  glorious  day  ! 

So  grieved  to  hear  of  your  suffering  so  much,  but, 
dear  mother,  I  do  pray  that  the  peace  may  be  pro- 
portioned to  the  great  need  of  it,  and  then  I  know 
you  will  not  even  wish  it  otherwise.  I  have  wanted 
to  write  to  you  every  day,  literally,  and  tell  you  of  all 
the    various    small    ongoings.      Most    thankful    to   hear 

at  church  for  the  poor's  sake.     Such  clear,  ringing 

gospel,  and,  although  he  does  ramble,  I  enjoy  it  greatly. 
But,  alas  !  some  are  very  naughty  over  his  peculiarities. 
I  especially  regret  incorrect  reading  of  Holy  Scripture, 
any  alteration  or  omission  of  words  I  can  neither  defend 
nor  excuse.  I  feel  quite  well  now,  with  lying  down  all 
the  afternoon,  and  doing  nothing  but  needlework,  or 
reading,  or  croquet,  or  playing  with  the  dogs  and 
doves.  Thanks  for  your  note  to  me,  darling  mother, 
so  kind  and  sweet.  I  don't  think  I  quite  explained, 
that  what  distresses  me  is  not  others  seeing  as  I  do,  but 
that  false  statements  and  accusations  should  be  so 
persisted  in.     Only  let  bare  justice  and  truthfulness  be 


I 


LE  TTERS  WITHO  UT  DA  TE,  157 

kept  to,  and  difference  of  opinion  does  not  trouble  me 

at  all.  ...   I  do  not  fuss  about  coming  to  you,  though 

heart  and  love  would  bring  me  this  moment,  only  I  feel 

it  is  probably  better  for  you  and  Miss  Nott  that  I  should 

wait. 

I   cannot  help  applying   my   verses   to  you,    mother 

dear  : — 

Oh  that  the  love  I  bear  her 

Might  ])lossom  into  skill 
To  comfort  and  to  brighten, 

And  all  with  gladness  fill  ! 
Ah,  helpess  love!     Yet  'tis  a  joy 

To  turn  each  wish  to  prayer, 
And  where  that  dear  one  dwclleth. 

To  know  that  God  is  there. 

— Your  lovino:  child. 


i^To  the  late  Julia  Kirchhoffer.) 

Two  years  ago  you  sent  me  anonymously  an  extract  from 
Our  Father,  and  some  comforting  words  from  the  far 
sweeter  Book  !  That  nameless  ministering  was  not  in 
vain.  I  have  never  forgotten  the  singular  solace  it  was  to 
me,  and  now  let  me  thank  you  for  it.  And  if  you  live  to 
pass  through  the  same  deep  sorrow,  may  He  pour  His 
own  sweet  comfort  and  strength  into  your  heart.  May 
you  have  a  very  happy  Easter  Sunday,  and  feel  the 
presence  of  our  beloved  Saviour,  who  is  '  risen  indeed.' 

Oakhamptox. 
Thanks  many,  indeed,  for  promising  to  pray  for  one 
so  very  dear  to  me,  that  I  have  no  greater  desire  than 
that  he  may  be  *  partaker  of  the  benefit.'     There  is  much 


158  LE  TTERS  WIT  HO  UT  DA  TE. 

that  is  hopeful,  but  also  much  that  is  discouraging ;  but 
the  blessing  can,  and  I  trust  will,  overflow  all  hindrances. 

0  do  pray  that  all  prejudices  and  hindrances  may  be 
swept  away,  and  that  Jesus  Himself  may  meet  him  there. 
He  would  be  gain  to  Christ's  cause,  for  he  has  con- 
siderable influence  and  natural  gifts,  and  I  do  so  long 
for  these  to  be  all  for  Jesus. 

I  want  you  also  to  pray  for  one  I  am  not  at  liberty  to 
name.  I  had  a  literary  request  from  him  two  days  ago, 
and  in  my  reply  I  wrote,  quite  simply  and  without  any 
effort,  just  a  few  lines  about  what  Jesus  has  been  to  me 
in  my  illness,  and  is :  his  reply  is  almost  the  most 
touching  letter  I  ever  saw,  especially  coming  from  one 
who  does  not  '  wear  his  heart  upon  his  sleeve ; '  it  seems 
as  if  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep  were  suddenly 
broken  up,  and  he  says,  '  I  would  give  a  million-fold  all 

1  have  to  feel  as  you  feel.'  I  cannot  help  feeling  God  is 
doing  and  going  to  do  '  great  things '  again  through  these 
few  simple  words.  But  share  my  prayer,  that  in  due 
time  you  may  share  my  praise  for  him.  I  am  better,  but 
still  very  weak.  What  an  unspeakable  mercy  it  is  to  be 
able  to  trust  Jesus  entirely,  and  to  leave  health  and 
everything  happily  in  His  dear  hands  !  God  has  lately 
used  the  enclosed  tiny  hymn  as  the  definite  means  of  a 
very  bright  and  decided  conversion. 

I  do  not  indulge  in  writing  to  you  as  I  would  like, 
because  writing  tires  me  so  much  that  I  rather  reserve 
my  pencil  for  letters  which  may  do  a  tiny  bit  of  work  for 
Jesus. 


LE  TTERS  WITHO  VT  DA  TE.  139 


{To ) 

I  wonder  if  you  prayed  for  me  last  night?  I  had 
been  feeling  very  '  grey '  all  day,  and  had  a  cry  at  night, 
and  then  prayed  a  long  time  that  I  might  be  '  satisfied 
with  favour  \ '  that  I  might  know  something  of  Christ's 
love,  and  so  not  feel  disappointed  at  the  denial  of  full 
earthly  love  all  my  life.  And  after  a  while  I  think  a  sort 
of  answer  came,  for  it  seemed  as  if  a  sudden  flow  set  in 
of  all  the  texts  speaking  of  God's  love  (without  any 
effort  of  memory),  and  it  was  very  soothing  and  sweet ; 
and  I  went  to  sleep  resting  on  it,  and  woke  in  the  night 
praying  about  it.  It  was  not  exactly  realization  that  He 
loves  me,  but  a  trusting  Him  in  the  dark  for  His  word's 
sake,  that  He  does  love.  I  should  tell  you  that  before 
this  I  had,  in  my  tears,  given  up  and  said,  '  Thy  will  be 
done,'  and  meant  it,  with  full  acquiescence  in  His  will. 
Do  you  understand  me?   it  is  not  exactly  or  entirely 

feeling  disappointed  about ,  but  more,  I  think,  the 

sense  of  general  heart-loneliness  and  need  of  a  one  and 
special  love,  ...  and  the  belief  that  my  life  is  to  be  a 
lonely  one  in  that  respect.  ...  I  do  so  long  for  the  love 
of  Jesus  to  be  poured  in,  as  a  real  and  satisfying  com- 
pensation. .  .  .  But  I  think  I  shall  do  better  now  that  I 
have  been  enabled  to  *  remember  His  love '  for  a  little. 
I  do  so  want  Him  to  sanctify  the  whole  thing,  and  give 
me  spiritual  blessing  in  and  by  it.  '  Who  teacheth  like 
Him?' 


My  heart  aches  for  you.     1  can't  tell  you  how  I  shrink 
from  writing  what  will  add  to  your  pain,  nor  how  glad  I 


1 60  LE  TTERS  WITHO  UT  DA  TE. 

should  be,  if  I  could,  if  I  dared,  write  what  would  only 
please  and  gladden  you.  You  know  I  have  never  treated 
this  matter  lightly.  I  know  how  deeply  you  feel  it,  and 
I  sympathize  with  you  in  proportion.  But  I  cannot  say 
less  than  what  I  believe  before  God,  viz.  that  '  only  in 
the  Lord '  is  His  will  and  law.  It  is  strange,  how  invari- 
ably He  seems  to  link  His  obvious  blessing  with  simple, 
trustful  obedience  to  it.  I  never  yet  knew  a  single 
instance  in  which  a  Christian  man  or  woman  married 
knowingly  one  who  was  not  really  '  in  Christ,'  but  what 
unhappiness  has  followed.  And  I  never  yet  knew  one 
instance  of  this  great  sacrifice  for  the  sake  of  obedience 
to  His  Word,  but  what  sooner  or  later,  the  blessing  was 
so  plain  and  full  that  it  was  indeed  the  '  hundred-fold.' 
The  waiting  and  praying  is  one  thing,  but  your  taking 
any  definite  step,  while  you  have  not  the  evidence  of  her 
true  conversion  to  God,  is  quite  another.  Do  not  think 
I  underrate  the  trial ;  so  far  from  that,  I  would  even 
rank  it  as  the  nearest  thing  nowadays  to  the  trial  of 
Abraham's  faith  : — '  Take  now  thy  son,  thine  only  son, 
Isaac,  whom  thou  lovest,'  the  very  wording  showing  that 
God  Himself  recognised  the  intensity  of  the  trial.  May 
our  Lord  Himself  give  you  proportioned  faith  to  the 
test  He  gives  you,  whether  that  faith  is  exercised  in  long 
waiting  or  in  resigning.  He  will  guide  with  His  eye, 
and  will  help  you  to  look  up  for  that  guidance.  '  Jesus 
will  be  more  to  you  than  any  gift  of  His,'  and  yet  '  no 
good  thing  will  He  withhold '  because  He  loves  you  so  ; 
and  He  can  work  in  you  to  will  as  well  as  to  do  of  His 
good  pleasure,  so  that  you  may  wish  what  He  wishes, 
whatever  that  may  be. 


LETTERS  WITHOUT  DATE,  16 1 

The  first  opportunity  I  had,  I    only  approached  the 

subject  sideways  with He  probably  saw  vvhat  I 

was  at,  for  he  sheered  oft'  so  very  quickly  and  pointedly 
to  another  topic,  that  I  thought  it  best  not  to  renew  the 
attack,  but  adopt  different  tactics  next  time.  So  then 
I  made  a  full  front  attack,  which  gave  no  chance  of 
evasion,  telling  him  straight  out  my  fears  and  hopes  and 
prayers  for  him  personally.  He  staid  nearly  an  hour  ! 
arguing,  cavilling,  and  twisting  about  like  an  eel.  He 
manoeuvred  ingeniously  to  get  me  off  Bible-ground,  and 
entangle  me  in  metaphysical  thickets,  but  I  know  one  is 
never  safe  but  in  standing  firm  on  the  Word  and  declin- 
ing to  use  Saul's  weapons — so  he  always  found  "himself 
confronted  with  a  smooth  stone  out  of  the  brook,  and 
thereby  brought  back  again  and  again  to  personalities — 
*  And  what  about  his  own  soul  and  salvation  ? '  But  I 
saw  no  ivipressiofi ;  so  far  I  have  only  delivered  my 
own  soul.  I  think  I  was,  however,  enabled  to  speak 
winningly  to  him,  and  that  he  was  a  little  touched  by 
the  reality  of  my  anxiety  for  his  salvation.  He  will  be 
a  real  trophy  for  Jesus  if  converted,  perhaps  almost  more 

so  than  any  one  in I  was  so  exhausted  after  it,  that 

I  only  had  three-quarters  of  an  hour's  sleep  the  whole 
night,  having  got  quite  overwrought. 


There  is  infinitely  vioi-e  involved  in  this  than  you  seem 
to  have  the  least  idea  of.  And  nothing  but  God's  own 
power  can  teach  it  you.  It  is  true  my  attention  was 
called  to  this  truth,  and  that  set  me  thinking  and  praying 
(at  first  it  was  kicking  !).  No  human  word  did  or  could 
open  my  eyes — it  all  came  clear  to  me  in  one  tremendous 


i62  LETTERS  WITHOUT  DATE. 

flash,  one  Sunday  at  Perry,  when  I  was  quite  alone.  I 
have  no  doubt  it  was  the  Spirit  himself  revealing  it, 
even  by  the  effects,  for  it  is  since  then  that  all  has  been 
so  different.  Now  will  you  only  let  your  mind  be  open 
to  receive  whatever  teaching  He  may  send  you  ?  (I  do 
not  mean  any  words  of  7nine).  I  repeat,  no  human 
argument  can  do  anything,  but  rather  making  one  kick 
the  more  '  against  the  pricks.'  Will  you  for  this  one 
week,  really  pray  that  He  would  guide  you  into  His  own 
truth  whatever  that  may  be,  and  that  you  may  be  made 
willing  to  give  up  any  '  opinion  '  which  is  not  His  truth. 
The  importance  of  it  lies  here — as  long  as  you  do  not 
attribute  all  your  salvation  to  God,  so  long  you  are 
defrauding  Him  of  the  glory  which  is  His  due.  Who 
hath  made  you  to  differ  ?  Why  do  you  believe  and  rest 
in  Jesus  when  others  do  not  ?  Is  that  difference  your 
doing  or  His  ?  Could  you  have  come  to  Jesus  if  He 
had  not  drawn  you  ?  And  if  He  did  draw  you,  why  you 
and  not  everybody  ?  If  you  are  indeed  '  beloved  '  now, 
7vhen  did  He  begin  to  love  you  ? 

One  or  other  made  the  choice  in  the  first  place,  either 
you  or  God.  If  you  did,  then  you  had  a  share  in  saving 
yourself,  and  it  all  hinged  upon  your  doing  or  not  doing. 
If  He  did,  then  why  deny  Him  the  praise  and  thanks- 
giving for  having  chosen  you,  even  you  !  O  give  glory  to 
the  Lord  your  God,  yes,  all  the  glory.  At  present,  though 
you  do  not  know  it,  you  are  defrauding  Him  of  praise. 

Words  are  often  terrible  hindrances, '  darkening  counsel,' 
— such  is  your  word  '  favouritism  ; '  say  '  sovereignty ' 
instead — absolute,  but  righteous,  though  inscrutable — and 
then  botv  to  it,  and  you  will  end  by  rejoicing  in  it. 
Besides  you   only   shift  the  difficulty,  for  whose  doing 


LE  TTERS  WITHO  UT  DA  TE,  1 63 

is  it  that  one  is  bom  in  England  and  another  among 
the  darkness  and  cruelty  of  Timbuctoo?  God  chose 
to  give  you  English  birth  and  Christian  training,  and 
has  utterly  denied  the  same  great  advantages  to  others. 
You  must  call  this  favouritism  if  anything  is — I  call  it 
sovereignty.  Give  up  that  '  vain  word,'  and  you  will  see 
clearer.  I  have  been  running  through  a  Gospel  of  St. 
John  for  you,  only  because  I  could  not  find  a  Romans, 
Ephesians,  or  Thessalonians  portion,  which  I  should 
have  taken  in  preference  as  to  strength  of  argument. 
Will  you  accede  to  this  most  earnest  request — that  you 
will  read  this  Gospel,  i.e.  the  first  seventeen  chapters, 
prayerfully  through — willing  to  receive  His  trutli  at 
afiy  cost  or  sacrifice  of  'opinion  '  or  '  theory'  or  '  idea.' 
Oh,  do  not  glance  at  it  lightly,  I  am  very  anxious  that 
you  should  not  do  so.  I  cannot  explain  all  you  will  gain 
by  receiving  His  truth  as  a  Httle  child;  but  I  know 
it  because  I  have  felt  and  found  it  so.  And  will  you 
make  it  a  great  subject  of  real  prayer  for  light  and 
teaching?  I  believe  that  in  such  things,  John  vii.  17  :  'If 
any  man  will  do  His  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine 
whether  it  be  of  God,'  is  signally  fulfilled,  if  we  are 
made  quite  willing  to  give  up  our  own  will  about  theories 
and  ideas  and  to  follow  His  teaching,  even  if  quite 
contrary  to  what  we  fancied  or  liked;  then  He  lets 
us  '  k?iow  of  the  doctrine  whether  it  be  of  God.'  It  lies 
at  the  very  root  of  ever  so  many  other  difficulties ;  but 
once  receive  it,  and  all  falls  into  place,  while  the  spiritual 
'  strong  meat '  does  strengthen  in  a  way  I  would  not  and 
could  not  have  believed  till  His  own  Hand  fed  me  with 
it.  .  .  .  Have  you  ever  noticed  the  preposition  in  Rev. 
V.  9  ?     I  shall  never  forget  how  breathlessly  I  turned  to 


1 64  LE  TTERS  WITHO  UT  DA  TE. 

the  Greek,  hoping  it  was  wrongly  translated,  and  found 
it  was  even  more  emphatic  in  the  original :  '  Hast  redeenned 
us  to  God  by  Thy  blood  out  of  every  kindred,  and  tongue, 
and  people,  and  nation.'  I  most  fully  agree  with  you  in  all 
you  say  as  to  the  lost.  It  will  be  their  own  fault,  and 
they  will  own  the  justice^  and  yet  the  salvation  of  the 
saved  will  be  all  God's  glory  and  His  doing  from 
begiiining  to  end.  I  do  not  care  to  reconcile  the  paradox 
— both  are  true  and  revealed — and  the  day  shall  declare 
it.  This  is  one  of  the  points  I  want  you  to  be  clear 
upon.  Upon  zvhat  does  your  actual  salvation  (not  your 
possible  salvation)  depend  ?  Is  the  hinge  your  faith  ?  or 
is  it  God's  sovereign  and  free  gift  to  you  personally  of  it  ? 
i.e.  of  the  faith  as  well  as  the  grace.  If  the  former,  you 
must  have  the  credit  of  making  the  difference  between 
yourself  and  others,  and  not  God.  Yes,  dear, — that  is 
just  what  I  want,  not  argument,  but  the  Holy  Spirit's 
light  and  help — coming  closer.     Let  us  both  seek  that. 


{Letter  printed  as  a  Circular.) 

Dear , 

Pardon  me  for  7xgretfully  resorting  to  this  way 
of  replying^  as  the  continually  increasing  7iumber  of 
correspo7ide7its  personally  unknow?i  to  me.,  re?tders  it  simply 
impossible  to  send  wi'itten  answers  to  each.  You  will 
find  a  mark  against  the  paragraph  or  sentefice  which 
contains  a  reply  to  your  letter. —  Yours  faithfully, 

FRANCES  RIDLEY  HAVER  GAL. 

I.  To  those  who  wish  permission  to  use  or  quote  hymns 
or  extracts  from  m^y  writings. — It  is  always  a  pleasure  to 


LE  TTERS  WITHO  UT  DA  TE.  1 65 

give  this  freely,  except  in  cases  where  I  am  fettered 
by  a  previously  given  permission  or  arrangement,  or 
where  '  Musical  Copyright '  should  be  secured  by  the 
publishers. 

2.  To  those  who  wish  a  ^candid  opinion''  as  to  MSS.^ 
or  advice  how  to  profit  by  them. — The  only  *  candid 
opinion '  of  any  practical  value  will  be  obtained  by 
sending  your  MS.  to  the  Editor  of  whatever  magazine 
issues  verses  or  articles  of  the  same  kind;  he  will  judge 
without  bias,  and  reply  accordingly.  Introductions  are 
utterly  useless;  everything  stands  on  its  own  practical 
merits  in  an  Editor's  study.  Payment  for  hymns  or 
general  verses  is  exceptional,  and  unless  you  already  have 
'  a  name,'  you  need  not  dream  of  it.  As  to  larger  MSS. 
consult  a  London  publisher.  If  he  says  he  will  be 
happy  to  publish  your  MS.,  but  at  your  expense,  that 
simply  means  that  he  knows  it  will  not  command 
sufficient  circulation  to  pay  its  expenses.  Never  publish 
anything  at  your  own  risk. 

3.  To  those  who  wish  a  '  candid  opinion '  or  revision  of 
Music. — I  really  have  not  time  for  this.  If  you  are  a 
beginner,  send  your  MS.  to  the  nearest  good  organist. 
If  not,  send  it  to  any  high-class  publisher. 

N.B. — Composition  without  knowledge  of  harmony 
is  totally  useless  for  publication. 

4.  To  those  who  ask  me  to  write  for  some  Charitable  or 
Religious  Institution  or  object. — (i.)  I  never  write  unless 
I  have  a  very  strong  impression  on  my  mind.  A  mere 
string  of  rhymes  by  request  or  on  hearsay  would  be 
worse  than  useless.  (2.)  It  does  not  follow  that,  be- 
cause I  can  or  do  heartily  sympathize  in  a  cause,  I  can 


1 66  LE  TTERS  WIT  HO  UT  DA  TE. 

forthwith  write  a  poem  about  it.  (3.)  I  never  write 
descriptions  or  appeals  for  anything  with  which  I  am 
not  personally  familiar.  (4.)  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I 
really  cannot  find  time  to  write  letters  or  addresses  to 
special  Bible  classes,  Hospitals,  etc.,  etc. 

5.  To  those  who  kindly  suggest  subjects  on  which  they 
think  something  in  prose  or  verse  would  he  desirahle. — I 
find  I  have  to  quarry  my  own  stones,  and  that  it  hardly 
ever  seems  possible  to  me  to  take  up  a  line  of  thought 
suggested  by  another  mind.  At  the  same  time,  I  am 
not  ungrateful  for  these,  as  they  are  often  interesting, 
though  I  cannot  write  upon  them.  But  in  several  in- 
stances the  result  has  been  more  surely  reached  by 
prayer  that  the  Lord  would  give  me  the  desired  words, 
than  by  mentioning  any  subject  to  me  at  all. 

6.  To  those  who  ^feel  sure '  of  my  interest  or  sympathy 
in  various  schemes  of  Christian  work. — Dear  friends,  I 
can  only  say  that  sometimes  I  am  unable  for  weeks,  or 
even  months  together,  to  cut  my  way  through  to  doing 
any  of  my  ow7i  work,  because  everybody  expects  me  to 
take  an  interest  in  their  work  or  plans  !  It  is  not 
want  of  will,  but  an  actual  physical  impossibility,  to 
respond  as  I  would  to  the  continual  stream  of  such 
letters  from  unknown  fellow-workers. 

7.  To  those  who  ask  me  to  ciirulate  or  dispose  of  hooks ^ 
leaflets.,  work.,  etc.  —  I  am  now  obliged  entirely  and 
invariably  to  decline  to  do  this  for  any  one.  N,B, — I 
never  dispose  of  my  own  publications. 

8.  To  those  who  inquire  about  my  publications.  — 
Books,  Nisbet  &  Co.,   21   Berners  Street,   London,  or 


LE  TTERS  WITHO  UT  DA  TE.  167 

any  bookseller  in  the  kingdom.  Songs,  Hatchings  & 
Romer,  9  Conduit  Street,  Regent  Street,  London,  or 
any  musicseller.  Leaflets,  cards,  etc. :  No  leaflet  is 
issued  without  the  name  and  address  of  the  publisher, 
who  will  supply  them  by  return  of  post  to  any  address. 
A  full  list  of  Leaflets  in  Verse,  seventy-five  in  number, 
will  be  found  at  the  end  of  Royal  Co7n7nandmejits 
(Parlane,  Paisley ;  and  Caswell,  Birmingham). 

9.  To  those  who  most  kindly  write,  asking  for  no  answer, 
only  to  tell  me  of  help,  stimulus,  or  comfort,  through  some 
message  that  the  Lord  has  given  me  the  privilege  of  bearing. 
— I  thank  you  most  heartily,  and  ask  you  to  pray  that 
He  would  graciously  give  me  His  own  messages  for  the 
unknown  needs  of  His  children,  and  to  join  me  in 
thanksgiving  for  all  His  wonderful  goodness. 


DIVISION    V. 


LETTERS,  FROM  1870  to  1875. 


Pyrmont  Vili,a,  March  12,  1870. 

I  have  been  ill,  or  something  like  it — only  the  old 
story,  nervous  exhaustion,  with  more  acute  joain  than 
ever  before.  I  am  round  the  corner  now,  and  have 
been  sleeping  immoderately  the  last  few  days,  which  is 
more  than  any  tonic.  So  *  I'm  not  to  think  of  going 
again  to  our  young  women's  rooms,  nor  of  opening  my 
desk  to  any  more  serious  purpose  than  an  occasional 
letter,  for  I  don't  know  how  long  !'  So  I  have  not  been 
able  to  give  away  '  Charley's  message  ! ' 

I  send  you  i  John  iii.  2,  because  it  seemed  sent  to 
me  in  the  night.  The  phase  of  it  which  shone  out  was 
this.  It  (and  many  others)  is  not  only  a  beautiful  picture 
conveying  one  great  subject  or  idea  to  the  heart's  eye — 
but  when  more  closely  looked  at,  the  painting  resolves 
itself  into  a  mosaic^  every  word  a  precious  and  beautiful 
gem.  The  subject  is  the  marvellous  promise,  or  expres- 
sion of  confidence  (which  comes  to  the  same  thing), 
that  we  shall  see  Him  and  be  like  Him,  through  that 

168 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  169 

seeing.  But  just  take  the  words  one  by  one,  and  see  if 
each  is  not  a  jewel  of  many  rays.  '  Beloved — now — are 
— we  the  sons  of  God — and — it  doth  not  yet  appear 
— what — we  shall  be — hut  we  know  that  when  He  shall 
appear  WQ  shall  be  like 'H.im— for — we — shall — see — Him 
— as — He  IS.'  Why  any  one  is  enough  for  a  great 
sermon !  I  have  double-lined  those  on  which  I  dwelt 
most,  though  it  does  not  follow  that  they  are  most  full. 
The  word  '  be '  (like  Him)  struck  me  immensely — it  is  so 
absolute — not  see?)i,  but  actually  '  be '  going  glorifyingly 
down  to  the  very  ends  and  depths  of  our  whole 
being  —  no  surface  likeness,  but  entirety  of  transfor- 
mation. 


{To  E.  C.) 
Pyrmont  Villa,  Easter,  April  17,  1870. 

I  must  send  you  a  line,  dear  E.  I  think  Maria  and 
Ellen  will  have  set  out  on  their  journey  hither,  but  //"not, 
let  them  know. 

My  father  still  lies  just  the  same,  quite  unconscious. 
Apoplectic  fit  early  this  morning,  and  he  has  never  moved 
or  spoken  since ;  no  consciousness  of  blisters,  mustard, 
etc.  Dr.  Thursfield  says,  'humanly  speaking,  there  is 
no  hope  whatever,'  and  he  '  thinks  he  will  not  last  many 
hours.'  Yesterday  he  was  unusually  well,  all  remarked 
it,  and  peculiarly  bright  and  happy.  He  has  no 
suffering  at  all,  and  was  hardly  an  hour  consciously  ill 
or  even  poorly.  And  when  he  awakens,  it  will  be  to  see 
Him  as  He  is.  Dear  E.,  I  did  not  think  it  possible 
this  blow  could  have  been  sent  so  mercifully,  all  pain 
spared  him,  and  that  was  the  chief  thing.     And  I  never 


I70  LETTERS,  1 870-1 875. 

felt  before  how  God  can  give  peace  where  it  seemed  it 
must  have  been  only  utter  grief,  sudden  and  crushing. 
Pray  for  us. 


Pyrmont  Villa,  April  22,  1870. 

^Blessed  ho.  the  name  of  the  Lord.'  I  think  He  has 
put  that  in  my  heart,  and  my  heart  says  it.  I  thought 
I  should  have  yours  to-day,  and  longed  for  it.  It  will 
be  a  relief  to  write  to  you,  there  is  so  much  that  I  must 
write  to  others,  and  I  need  not  to  you,  and  therefore  I 
want  to. 

It  is  a  dream  as  yet — but  rather  solemn  than  terrible ; 
and  after  it — '  when  I  awake,  I  am  still  with  Thee.'  I 
think  He  will  let  me  prove  that.  It  has  been  the  very 
best  for  my  father,  and  therefore  I  do  not  think  any  of 
us  would  have  it  otherwise.  Saturday  he  was  better 
than  for  months,  was  out  twice,  just  in  the  sun  before 
the  house — chatting  cheerily  to  neighbours  and  friends, 
and  all  day  seemed  quite  peculiarly  happy  and  bright. 
I  went  with  Edith  H.  to  tea  at  Miss  Nott's,  but  happily 
was  so  tired  that  I  came  home  at  8.30,  and  so  was  at 
home  at  evening  prayers.  I  cannot  recall  his  prayer, 
though  I  would  give  anything  to  remember  it — all  seems 
blotted  out  except  the  fact  of  it. 

I  never  said  good -night  to  him,  never  remember 
missing  it  before — but  I  had  to  go  away  directly  after 
prayers,  I  forget  what  for,  and  when  I  returned  he  was 
gone  up.  I  did  not  follow  him,  because  he  was  tired, 
and  I  thought  it  would  only  hinder  and  disturb  him  if 
I  did.  I  did  not  know  that  I  should  never  have 
another  kiss.      Very  early  on  Easter  Sunday  morning 


LETTERS,  1 870-1 875.  171 

(April  19),  (after  sleeping  fairly),  he  said  his  head  was 
uncomfortable — got  up  about  six,  but  laid  down  again — 
and  became  unconscious.  It  was  apoplexy,  and  he 
never  moved  or  spoke  again — laid  as  in  deep  sleep  till 
Tuesday  at  noon,  and  then  the  breathing  ceased — that 
was  all — no  struggle,  no  pain,  only  gone  to  rest.  Was 
it  not  merciful  so  ?  Not  any  pang  for  him,  not  a  good- 
bye, or  the  possibihty  of  a  troubled  thought,  not  an 
hour's  conscious  illness — then  sleep — then  glory.  We 
could  not  have  chosen  better  for  him.  And  for  us — 
everything  that  could  soften  and  sustain  has  been  given 
— all  were  in  time  too  to  see  him.  There  was  no 
human  element,  and  so  no  evil,  no  bitterness;  it  was 
only  God's  Hand.  Not  one  regret — not  one  of  us 
having  to  wish  that  either  he  or  we  had  done,  or  not 
done  this  or  that  as  second  cause.  If  I  had  loved  my 
father  less,  I  should  grieve  more,  but  his  comfort  was 
truly  first,  and  that  is  everything.  But  I  would  have 
given  anything  but  the  inevitable  cost  of  suffering  to  him 
for  even  one  last  word  or  look. 

I  need  not  tell  anybody  what  he  was  to  me — I  have 
said  that  once  for  all  in  the  Ministry  of  So?ig — (Our 
Father),  and  I  am  so  glad  I  did. 

Dear  mother  is — I  do  not  know  how  to  tell  it — I 
never  saw  such  grief  before — and  yet  not  one  murmur. 

All  is  in  the  most  marvellous  order — not  a  bill  unpaid, 
not  even  one  letter  unanswered  !  He  could  not  have  done 
more  had  it  been  known  to  him.  Yet  we  have  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  he  had  any  presentiment — no 
shadow  of  death  fell  on  him  at  all.  And  now  —  he 
is  *with  Him,'  and  I  think  that  includes  all.  And  I 
can  look  at  that  and  even  be  glad.     I  did  not  know 


72  LETTERS,  1 870-1875. 


God  could  make  it  so  easy  to  bow  and  trust,  and  say, 
'Thy  will  be  done.'  He  will  rest  in  A stley  churchyard, 
and  in  its  loveliest  spot. 


yJp-II  2T,  1870. 
Your  note  to  mother  was  just  hemitiful.  Dear  E., 
your  own  sorrow  seems  to  have  taught  you  what  to  say. 
I  am  so  glad  that  it  is  fixed  that  I  go  out  next  week.  I 
would  much  rather  go  right  away  than  even  come  to 
Winterdyne  just  now  !  I  do  not  think  I  shall  get  to  feel 
comfortably  well  till  I  have  more  change  than  mere 
'  change  of  air.'  I  do  not  mean  that  I  want  to  forget — - 
not  at  all — but  it  will  do  me  good  to  have  to  forget  at 
intervals.  And  I  have  felt  my  father's  loss  even  more 
intensely  the  last  two  days.     How  anxious  you  must  be 

about  ,  yet  I  am  sure  God  will  help  you  to  be  in 

'perfect  peace.'  1  think  He  does  such  unexpected 
things  in  that  way  :  '  perfect  peace '  where  we  expected 
distress,  and  agony  where  one  expected  peace.  Yet 
His  surprises  are  more  often  of  the  former  kind. 


{To  Margaret  W.) 

-      1870. 

What  gra?td  things  Janie  is  permitted  to  do !  Of 
course  I  am  charmed  that  she  sees  there  are  advantages 
in  '  keeping  rank ' !  I  never  did  believe  in  '  unattached,' 
and  never  can  believe  the  Captain  intends  anything  of 
the  sort,  and  I  would  sooner  be  a  Congregational ist 
(always  barring   the  great  Bible-education  point !)  than 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  173 

be  one  of  those  unsubordinated  (I  did  not  say  'insub- 
ordinate ' !)  waifs  and  strays. 

Such  a  telling  '  present  salvation '  sermon  last  night  at 
St.  Paul's — John  vi.  47,  and  one  of  J.  H.  R.'s  very  best 
A.M.  on  John  xx.  29.  I  have  been  extremely  struck  (for 
myself)  with  the  as  and  the  so  in  John  vi.  57,  so  I  pass  it 
on  to  you  and  dear  Bessie.  I  do  not  know  how  to  thank 
her  for  her  kind  message  and  prayers.  Can  you  and  she 
find  time  to  ask  that  I  may  be  able  if  He  will  to  carry  out 
a  little  poem  on  a  subject  which  is  a  good  deal  too  grand 
for  Die — and  yet  I  had  a  strong  impulse  to  begin  it,  but 
stuck  in  the  middle,  not  because  I  could  not  scribble  on 
somehow^  but  because  I  feel  utterly  unequal  to  put  the 
idea  into  any  sort  of  adequate  words,  and  can't  bear 
spoiling  it !  We  had  better  singing  the  last  two  Sundays 
than  ever  yet,  which  is  encouraging.  I  am  actually  let 
into  the  choir  now,  to  shout  to  my  heart's  content  at  the 
hallelujahs,  etc. 


{To  the  same.) 

Jamiajy  31,  1871. 

I  can  think  of  nothing  with  respect  to  the  death  of  dear 
Lucy's  mother,  but  '  Thou  hast  made  her  most  blessed  for 
ever.'  She  was  not  always  '  glad '  here,  but  now  '  exceed- 
ing glad  with  Thy  countenance.'  Loving  thanks  for  telling 
me.  We  are  still  in  the  deepest  anxiety  and  distress — a 
terrible  relapse  last  Thursday  night,  since  which  he  keeps 
saying  he  knows  he  is  dying.  The  case  is  not  hopeless, 
and  yet  there  is  far  more  fear  than  hope,  except  for 
prayer.  But  the  intense  conviction  of  sin  is  an  answer 
so  far   showing  that  good  work  is  begun.     There  have 


174  LETTERS,  1870- 187  5. 


been  gleams  of  peace,  but  quickly  passing  again.  He 
never  prays  for  life,  only  for  pardon,  and  will  go  on 
whispering  by  the  hour,  ^Please  do — dear  Jesus,  please 
do  wash  me — whiter  than  snow,  oh,  forgive  me — quite, 
dear  Saviour,  do,  do  !^  and  so  on.  But  the  last  two 
days  he  has  wandered  so  much  that  it  adds  greatly  to  our 
trial,  and  he  does  not  seem  to  understand  what  at  first 
seemed  to  soothe  him.  Dear  Margaret,  will  you  kindly 
write  a  '  request '  for  him  for  Friday,  '  this  only  son,'  and 
send  this  on  to  Janie  ? 


{To  the  same.) 

Perry  Villa,  1871. 

I  meant  to  send  an  ordinary  'request  for  praise'  for 

Friday,  but  I  do  feel  that  the  answer  God  has  given 

about  the  invalid   is  so  extraordinary,  that  I  think  it 

might  be  a  help  to  praying  ones  if  you  would  tell  them 

in  your  own  words  what  God  has  done  in  this  case.     I 

would    not    convey   in    the   usual    short    form   what   a 

remarkable    answer    it    is.       In   the    last   three   weeks 

recovery  has  taken  place,  and  he  is  at  this  moment,  if 

not  very  strong,  yet  in  all  respects  as  well  as  usual,  and 

running  and  riding  about.     From  what  I  hear  I  have 

every  reason  to  believe  that  the  life  renewed  will  be  life 

henceforth  consecrated,   and  that  this  illness  has  been 

indeed  the  turning-point.     For  weeks  there  was  literally 

no    other    hope   but   prayer,    and   a   most    remarkable 

spirit  of  prayer  seems  to  have  been  given  with  respect 

to  his  case,  so  many,  not  only  in  our  own  wide  circle 

of  friends,    but    complete   strangers,    having    taken    it 

up    and    made    special    request    for    him.      Just    tell 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  175 

your  members  something  about  it  on  Friday;  it  is 
stimulating  to  hear  how  gracious  God  is,  and  it  may 
encourage  them.  Ask  them  to  pray  that  the  good  work 
begun  may  be  carried  on,  and  not  even  temporarily 
hindered  by  temptations  and  snares,  which  his  position 
as  well  as  his  lively  disposition  will  expose  him  to,  but 
that  he  may  be  henceforth  Christ's  brave  and  faithful 
and  entirely  devoted  soldier  and  servant.  And  ask 
them  to  pray  that  the  prayers  of  many  years  may  be 
crowned  at  last  by  the  conversion  of  unconverted  dear 
ones,  so  that  ii  may  be  another  gracious  instance  of  a 
'converted  family.'  Will  you  send  this  on  to  dear  Janie? 
I  want  her  to  know. 

I  am  busy  at  work  upon  the  Songs  of  Grace  and 
Glory,  having  finished  Havergal's  Psahnody.  My  last 
is-eek's  work  was  re-writing  sundr}'  queer  old  hymns ! 
It  is  so  strange  that  on  certain  very  precious  subjects 
no  hymn- writer  seems  to  have  touched.  I  have  a  most 
interesting  servants'  Bible  class  here,  and  am  looking 
for  blessing.  I  hope  mother  will  join  me  here  next 
week.  I  shall  think  of  you  on  Fridays,  and  join  you 
in  heart.  I  meant  to  have  tried  my  best  to  help  you 
at  the  meetings  !  but  as  yet  it  has  only  been  by  prayer. 

I  am  so  delighted  at  the  bright  opening — not  the 
least  surprised  that  none  stayed  Sunday  p.m.  I  doubt 
not  that  Monday  night,  which  seems  to  have  been 
beyond  expectations,  is  but  the  beginning.  You  have  in 
a  special  way  'come  near  to  minister  unto  Him'  this 
week,  Ezek.  xliv.  15,  16,  and  so  Num.  xvi.  5  belongs  to 
you  and  the  7th  verse.  But  it  begins  with  the  being 
'chosen,'  and  from  that  flows  the  'come  near'  and 
'shall  be  holy.'     Is  not  that  for  you,  dearie? 


176  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

{To  E.  C) 

Christmas  Afternoon,  1871. 

I  must  send  you  a  line  of  Christmas  greeting — I  am 
so  glad  you  are  at  Winterdyne.  Christmas  has  as  much 
of  pain  as  of  joy  in  it,  more  perhaps,  and  yet  one  would 
not  blot  out  the  memories  which  cause  the  pain.  I  do  so 
utterly  agree  with  what  you  wrote  to  Maria  about  widows, 
and  the  sympathy  they  have  as  compared  with  the  utter 
lack  of  sympathy  with  those  to  whom  the  joy  of  union 
has  been  altogether  denied,  for  widowhood  is  after  all 
but  as  the  shadow  following  a  great  light.  Has  it  ever 
struck  you  that  in  this  particular  thing  ive  have  a 
fellowship  with  our  Lord,  which  they  have  not?  You 
will  think  this  out  for  yourself,  if  you  have  not  already 
dwelt  upon  it. 

I  cannot  tell  you  how  grateful  I  am  for  your  sacrifice 
in  sparing  Maria  to  come  home,  I  do  not  know  when 
anything  has  been  a  greater  relief  to  me.  The  terrible 
dreaded  evening  for  poor  mother  of  the  anniversary  that 
so  recalls  my  father,  was  tided  over  by  Maria's  coming — 
mother's  burst  of  agony  quite  startled  her.  But  dear 
Elizabeth,  I  had  no  idea  you  were  so  suffering,  or  I 
would  not  have  asked  for  Maria;  so  I  do  hope,  in  my 
own  distress  and  anxiety  for  poor  mother,  I  have  not 
sacrificed  your  comfort. 

I  suddenly  collapsed  three  days  ago  —  got  quite 
exhausted,  but  mercifully  I  have  been  able  to  sleep  it  off. 
Let  me  give  you  my  special  tired  text :  '  He  will  be  very 
gracious  unto  thee  at  the  voice  of  thy  cry.'  We  may 
not  see  what  He  will  do^  nor  be  able  to  hear  what  He 


LETTERS,  1870- 1875.  177 

will  sa)\  but  what  He  will  be, — what  He  is^  swallows  up 
both,  and  guarantees  all,  no  matter  what  we  feel,  *  He 
will  be  very  gracious.^ 


{ToE.  C) 

...  I  feel  very  much  inclined  to  send  you  this  text : 
'I  will  never  leave  thee,  nor  forsake  thee.'  Because 
that  takes  in  all  'the  way.'  For  if  true  no7c>,  it  must 
have  always  been  true,  even  when  most  imperfectly 
recognised.  And  we  cannot  get  beyond  ^  72 ever.'  The 
Greek  is  elsewhere  rendered  '  loose  or  slacken,'  therefore 
it  seems  very  strong — '  I  will  never  loose  my  hold  upon 
thee;'  the  'forsake,'  I  think,  includes  etymologically  the 
idea  of  leaving  behind  in  a  place,  therefore  it  may  be 
linked  with  *  Where  I  am,  there  shall  also  my  servant  be ' 
(John  xii.  20),  and  '  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you  .  .  . 
that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also'  (John  xiv.  3). 

So  dear  E.,  whatever  sorrows  this  or  any  coming  year 
may  bring,  they  cannot  go  beyond  '  I  know  their 
sorrows.'  But  may  He  who  knows  your  past  sorrows, 
spare  you  from  heavy  future  ones. 

I  do  hope  you  will  be  cheered  with  much  blessing  this 
year,  specially  among  your  girls.  We  are  at  a  disad- 
vantage with  ours  as  compared  with  yours,  because  we 
are  hampered  as  to  the  coming  Confirmation  time,  being 
mixed  Church  and  Dissent,  both  as  to  ladies  and  girls.  I 
hope  I  shall  get  some  of  them  to  attend  Confirmation 
classes,  whether  they  go  on  to  Confirmation  itself  or  not. 
I  do  think,  and  this  is  the  experience  of  thousands,  that 
it  is  l/ie  great  opportunity  with  young  persons.  The 
very  fact  of  feeling  themselves  unfit  is  the  means  of 

M 


178  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

awakening  so  many;  for  the  question  naturally  arises, 
'If  unfit  for  Confirmation,  then  am  I  not  unfit  for 
heaven?'  Especially  among  what  you  call  Avell-disposed 
girls,  I  think  it  is  very  often  the  turning-point,  it  is  such 
a  solemnly  personal  individual  thing,  that  it  stirs  them 
up  to  decide.  It  used  to  be  a  time  of  great  blessing, 
specially  among  my  dear  father's  candidates — one  of  his 
Sunday-school  teachers,  Emma  Shrimpton,  who  died 
lately  (whom  Maria  knew  so  well),  was  an  instance  of 
great  blessing  and  a  consistent  life.     I  always  regretted 

exceedingly  that was  not  confirmed ;  for  though  I 

believe  she  was  a  Christian  before,  she  w^ould  have 
found  great  blessing — she  says  things  which  show  she 
underrates  it,  and  it  has  occurred  to  me  that  Satan  may 
make  use  of  the  fact  of  having  no  personal  experience  of 
the  privilege,  to  hinder — from  making  the  most  of  it  with 
her  class  of  girls.  For  of  course,  merely  knowing  of 
Confirmation  theoretically  as  a  rite,  is  very  different  from 
having  shared  in  it  and  found  its  blessing. 

We  are  obliged  to  give  up  two-thirds  of  our  work 
among  the  girls,  and  only  keep  the  rooms  open  two 
nights,  as  the  girls  do  not  come.  It  is  very  disappointing 
and  humiliating.  I  should  have  kept  on,  whether  or  no, 
but  I  was  quite  outvoted  by  the  other  workers. 

I  am  so  looking  forward  to  milder  weather,  so  that  I 
can  sit  every  morning  in  my  study  instead  of  only  once 
a  week.  I  have  been  defeated  altogether  in  a  pet 
scheme — you  know  my  study  is  no  practical  use  to  me 
except  in  the  few  weeks  of  warm  spring  or  autumn  (as 
we  are  never  at  Leamington  in  the  summer).  I  cannot 
sit  without  a  fire,  it  is  so  extra  cold  under  the  very  thin 
slated   roof      I  offered  to   pay  for   coals  and   fee  the 


i 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  179 


scr\-ant,  so  as  to  have  a  fire  nearly  every  day  instead  of 
once  a  week  as  dear  mother  arranged — but  one  of  our 
seiTants  is  invalided,  so  I  must  not  propose  it.  I  am 
so  disappointed — one  cannot  have  any  little  reading  or 
prayer  in  the  downstair  rooms,  as  our  callers  are  inces- 
sant. And  it  is  so  difficult  to  do  anything  requiring 
consecutive  thought,  with  interruptions  every  ten  minutes. 
If  I  am  drawing  on  my  brahi  at  all,  I  lose  the  thread  and 
forget  where  I  was,  and  have  to  cogitate — so  I  produce 
more  in  my  one  study  fire  day  than  all  the  other  five. 

But  it  is  foolish  and  selfish  to  grumble  thus  to  you. 
I  cannot  think  how  I  was  betrayed  into  it :  one  would 
much  rather  dwell  on  mercies,  which  ought  so  infinitely 
to  satisfy. 

I  thought  I  should  not  find  this  second  "return  home 
so  trying  as  the  first  after  my  dear  father's  death,  but  I 
have  felt  it  fully  as  much. 

Leamington,  March  1872. 

...  I  began  going  to  the  laundry  girls  last  week,  and 
was  much  interested.  I  repeated  the  '  Old,  Old  Story ' 
to  a  room-full  of  them,  and  though  they  were  told  not  to 
let  it  interrupt  work,  they  one  by  one  stopped,  and 
listened  in  dead  silence,  and  two  or  three  were  in 
tears. 

I  have  begun  giving  a  little  series  of  a  sort  of  mild 
•lectures'  on  psalmody  to  Miss  Rose's  school,  with 
illustrations^  which  consist  of  practising  a  hymn  and 
tune  till  it  goes  satisfactorily.  For  next  time  they  are  to 
bring  me  instances  of  the  characteristics  oi  good  '^'s.dXmo^y 
I  mentioned  and  explained.  Next  time  I  shall  point 
out  some  characteristics  oi  bad  style.  They  are  to  prac- 
tise the  tunes  in  between — for  what  numbers  of  girls  can 


i8o  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

play  a  brilliant  piece  and  yet  cannot  play  a  hymn  tune. 
Miss  R.  has  introduced  Songs  of  Grace  and  Glor)\ 
and  handed  over  her  girls  to  my  influence,  which  I  hope 
to  use  rightly  for  the  principles  and  practice  of '  psalmody,' 
and  while  it  seems  to  interest  them  extremely,  gives  a 
first-rate  opening  for  general  ^;///-High  Church  influence. 
But  I  must  hasten.  I  do  so  hope  you  will  find  many 
an  evident  proof  at  Malvern,  that  the  angel  has  gone 
before  you  to  choose  you  out  a  place  to  pitch  your  tent  in. 
Not  but  what  the  fac^  will  be  the  same,  in  any  case,  but 
I  should  like  you  to  find  pleasant  proofs  of  it. 


WiNTERDYNE,  May  6,  1872. 

I  have  just  written  a  lively  little  missionary  song  and 
tune,  '  Tell  it  out,'  which  is  being  taken  up  wonderfully 
quickly.  I  will  send  it  to  you  by  book  post,  and  you  can 
make  any  use  you  like  of  it.  I  enclose  you  my  F/ea  for 
the  Little  Ones,  of  which  I  think  not  less  than  half  a 
million  must  have  been  in  type  in  the  last  three  weeks, 
such  numbers  of  newspapers  and  magazines  having 
inserted  it.  I  feel  very  strongly  (on  the  exclusion  of  the 
Bible  from  Board  schools),  and  it  is  a  perfectly  inexpli- 
cable thing  to  me  how  men  who  profess  to  believe  and 
value  the  Bible,  can  join  hands  with  '  infidels '  and 
'  heretics '  in  desiring  its  exclusion  from  Government 
schools  ;  it  is  to  me  '  a  wonderful  and  horrible  thing ' 
indeed.     The  last  verses  in  my  Flea  are : — 

Shall  those  who  name  the  Name  of  Christ 

His  own  great  gift  withhold  ? 
Our  Lamp,  our  Cliart,  our  Sword,  our  Song, 

Our  Pearl,  our  most  fine  Gold  ! 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  181 

Why  would  ye  have  '  no  Bible  taught'? 

Is  it  iotfear?  or  shame? 
Out,  out  upon  such  coward  hearts, 

False  to  their  Master's  name  ! 

With  battle-cry  of  valiant  faith, 

Let  Britain's  sons  arise, — 
*  Our  children  shall  be  taught  the  Word 

That  only  maketh  wise  ! ' 

So,  dauntlessly,  will  we  unfurl 

Our  banner  bright  and  broad  : 
The  cause  of  His  dear  Word  of  Life 

Our  cause, — the  cause  of  God. 

I  am  so  glad  you  like  Bruey.  My  dear  little  nieces, 
Alice  and  Bertha,  to  whom  it  is  dedicated,  are  both 
stirred  up  by  it  to  wish  to  work;  and  both,  at  their 
earnest  entreaty,  begin  Sunday-school  teaching  in  Wyre 
Hill  to-morrow. 

I  have  had  many  inquiries  as  to  whether  B?-uey  is  a 
true  story  or  not,  so  I  will  make  an  explicit  statement. 
'  Bruey,'  so  called  from  the  name  '  Bruce,'  was,  as  the 
children  say,  *  a  real  little  girl.'  The  outhne  of  her 
simple  story  is  true ;  and  the  sketch  of  her  character  is 
founded  on  my  personal  recollections,  and  inferences 
drawn  from  them.  Her  Sunday-school  work  (in  my 
father's  school),  the  Irish  meeting,  and  the  collecting 
cards  and  the  forty-one  names,  her  illness  and  early 
and  peaceful  death,  are  all  fact.  If  I  had  been  writing 
an  entirely  made-up  story,  some  things  would  have 
been  very  different.  Probably  I  should  have  made 
Bruey  collect  for  some  vague  and  general  missionary 
cause,  in  which  any  one  might  imagine  they  could 
recognise  their  own  pet  society.  But  my  little  readers 
(so  far  as  I  know)  seem  to  agree  with  me  that  it  is  most 


i82  LETTERS,  1870-1S75. 

interesting  to  know  just  what  Bruey  really  did  collect 
for,  although  there  are  few  branches  of  the  Irish  Society 
in  England,  and  none  at  all  in  America.  And  some  of 
the  grown-up  readers  of  Bruey  may  think  it  pleasant  to 
get  a  little  passing  view  of  a  very  quiet  and  far-off  corner 
of  the  great  harvest  field  in  Ireland,  where  a  silent  sowing 
of  the  Word  is  going  on  by  this  society,  which  shall 
surely  result  in  sheaves  and  singing. 

Besides,  the  principles  and  motives  and  modes  of 
any  work  for  Christ,  such  as  dear  little  Bruey  undertook, 
apply  just  as  much  to  any  other  branch  of  the  same 
work.  Bruey's  card,  and  the  list  I  have  kept  of  her 
forty-one  names,  is  one  of  my  treasures.  I  should  like 
any  dear  little  unknown  future  readers  in  England  to 
know  that  I  have  heard  already  of  many  children  who 
have  been  stirred  up  by  Bruey's  example  to  wish  to  be 
'  workers  for  Christ '  too  ;  and  who  have  either  found  out 
different  ways  for  themselves,  or  asked  their  parents  to 
tell  them  of  something  to  do,  like  Bruey,  *  for  Him  ! ' 

I  am  so  far  away  that  I  shall  probably  never  hear  such 
pleasant  news  from  America ;  but  I  send  my  little  book 
across  the  ocean  with  a  very  earnest  prayer  that  my 
Heavenly  Master  may  grant  that  by  it  many  an  American 
girl  and  boy  may  be  led  to  become  a  '  little  worker  for 
Christ.' 

\Mem. — By  F.  R.  H.'s  request,  Bruey  is  translated  into 
French  by  Mile.  Tabarie,  under  the  name  of  Lilla 
(published  by  J.  Bonhoure,  48  Rue  de  Lille,  Paris). 
F.  R.  H.  was  pleased  with  its  lively  and  idiomatic 
rendering,  making  it  a  pleasant  book  for  the  school- 
room.—M.  V.  G.  H.] 


LETTERS,  1 870- 1 S; 5.  183 

It  was  kind  and  thoughtful  of  you  to  send  Miss  A.'s  un- 
expectedly cheering  letter.  Ah,  dear  J.,  *  even  F.  R.  H.' 
needs  perhaps  more  of  cheer  and  comfort  than  many 
who  may  perhaps  have  known  less  of  joy,  but  also  less  of 
sorrov/;  and  I  believe  this  is  why  my  tender  and  loving 
Father  has  of  late  so  kindly  given  me  so  much  success 
both  in  penwork  and  in  the  more  directly  spiritual  work. 
So  I  take  Miss  A.'s  letter  as  another  token  of  this;  and 
the  same  post  brings  me  quite  an  enthusiastic  note  from 
a  London  firm  about  words  for  a  set  of  six  very  beautiful 
MS.  songs  by  Franz  Abt,  which  they  requested  me  to  fit 
with  English  words  in  imitation  of  the  original — they  say, 
'  You  have  done  it  spleiididly ! '  '  Rose  of  roses,'  etc. 
So  this  1872  has  been  one  series  of  little  successes  and 
great  mercies.  .  .  .  Have  you  ever  thought  oui^  *  The 
Lord  will  do  great  things '  yet  ? 

I  cannot  say  I  '  miss '  dear  M.  and  E.,  because  my 
one  object  in  life  at  present  seems  to  be,  to  keep  out  of 
ever}body's  way !  I  refuse  myself  to  every  one  before 
early  dinner,  and  decline  every  evening  invitation;  so 
people  catch  me  if  they  can  in  the  afternoon. 


DeccjjiUr  14,  1872. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  depressed  birthdays  I  ever 
had.  '  Sent  empty  away '  seems  inscribed  on  this  week, 
both  for  the  misssion  time  and  myself.  I  am  certain 
Satan  has  been  specially  at  work  to  spoil  and  hinder 
everything.  I  have  not  the  least  consciousness  of  any 
blessing  or  comfort  whatever ;  but  instead  of  it,  a  terrible 
reaction  into  an  utter  misery  of  numbness  of  soul.  TIic 
whole  service  last  night  was  actual  weariness  to  me. 
More  faith  and  prayer  and  effort  and  expectation  there 


1 84  LETTERS,  1870- 1875. 


could  not  have  been,  yet  the  whole  result  seems  to  be, 
'  He  that  is  filthy  let  him  be  filthy  still,  and  he  that  is 
holy  let  him  be  holy  still'  Only  one  case  of  anything 
like  conversion  (with  thirty  services  and  meetings  in  the 
eight  days),  and  that  was  a"  girl  whom  I  felt  quite  sure 
God  was  leading  to  Himself  before.  It  has  been  a  most 
strange  and  painful  lesson  of  God's  sovereignty ;  some 
parishes  are  so  blessed.  I  heard  of  one  where  the  throngs 
of  enquirers  were  so  great  that  the  church  had  to  be  kept 
open  all  day  for  dealing  with  them;  in  others,  with  equal 
prayer  and  means,  just  nothing  at  all.  The  addresses  here 
were  so  pointed  and  clear  and  direct  and  fervent, — just 
what  one  would  think  must  convince  and  lead  to  Christ. 
Decided  Christians  and  visitors  enjoyed  it  immensely — 
to  me  it  was  all  utter  blank  disappointment.  For  twelve 
years  it  has  been  my  special  wish  to  be  in  an  affair  of 
this  kind,  or  anything  like  the  Mildmay  Conference, 
which  I  seem  fated  not  to  get  to — it  is  so  depressing, 
and  yet  it  nmst  have  its  '  nevertheless  afterwards.' 


{To  E.  C.) 

February  22,  1873. 
There  is  a  little  extra  pressure  to-day,  and  I  can  only 
write  you  a  note,  though  I  meant  to  write  a  letter.  I  send 
you  these  words,  '  He  is  thy  Lord.'  You  will  see  my 
comment  on  it  in  Woman's  Work  for  March  (see  also 
Under  the  Surface^  p.  69)  ;  but  I  shrunk  from  saying  all, 
though  if  I  had,  it  would  have  touched  more  hearts  ! 
The  thought  I  omitted  was;  the  restfulness  of  recog- 
nising the  Lord  Jesus  as  the  heavenly  Bridegroom, — the 
Husband, — meeting  all  the  special  woman's  need  of  one 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  185 

to  bow  to  and  love  and  obey, — submitting,  acquiescing, 
and  obeying  wiih  great  gladness,  because  with  great  love. 
You  will  fill  this  thought  out  for  yourself,  I  know,  darling, 
as  I  have  for  myself;  and  may  He  '  satisfy '  all  the  need 
which  only  He  knows.    I  do  delight  in  the  whole  of  Ps.  xlv. 

Well,  dear  E.,  may  'He  is  thy  Lord,'  in  its  fullest 
sweetness  and  solace,  be  your  keynote  for  the  new  life. 

Thank  you  so  much  for  the  sash  ;  it  is  exactly  the 
thing  I  wanted,  and  Amy  has  done  it  up  charmingly 
for  me. 


(r. — ) 

May  22,  1S73. 
Your  letter  interested  me  very  much,  for  I  do  so 
warmly  sympathize  with  you  in  your  longing  for  more 
knowledge  and  more  teaching.  May  I  say  freely  what  I 
think?  It  may  be  that  God  means  to  show  you  the 
power  of  His  Spirit,  working  by  His  Word  alone  (i  Thess. 
ii.  13),  and  to  lead  you  to  seek  and  search  the  Scriptures 
more  earnestly  iox yourself.  Sometimes  we  lean  too  much 
upon  outward  teaching,  when  we  have  it ;  though  on  the 
other  hand,  when  He  does  let  us  have  it,  it  is  most 
valuable  and  should  be  made  the  most  of.  But  I  think 
you  may  be  quite  sure  of  two  things: — ist.  That  He 
leadeth  you  by  the  right  way  (Ps.  cvii.  7) ;  and  therefore, 
if  you  really  cannot  go  to  a  Bible  class,  it  must  be  best 
so,  and  He  means  to  teach  you  without  it.  2nd.  If  God 
sends  you  to  those  who  need  teaching.  He  can  put  the 
right  message  into  your  moulh,  just  as  easily  as  if  you 
were  a  D.D.  And  I  do  feel  sure  wt  may  look  up  to  Him 
to  give  us  the  very  words  to  say.  Very  often  it  is  just 
when  we  feel  most  helpless  that  He  uses  us  most. 


i86  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

As  to  the  oil,  I  do  not  think  it  refers  to  Gal.  vi.  17. 
Oil  is  a  special  type  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  with  reference  to 
His  work  in  consecrati?ig  and  sanctifyi7ig  us.  The  blood 
came  first  (Lev.  xiv.  14),  and  then  the  oil  was  put  upon 
the  same  members.  So  we  need  first  atonement  by  the 
precious  blood  of  Christ,  every  member  being  defiled  and 
needing  it ;  but  then  follows  {'  go  and  sin  no  more ')  the 
oil  of  consecration,  setting  apart  those  very  members  to 
the  service  of  God  and  of  sanctification  throughout, 
down  to  the  very  lowest  member  and  power. 

I  should  like  to  write  much  more,  but  am  very  busy  just 
now. — Yours  in  Him,  '  whom  having  not  seen,  ye  love.' 


1873- 
I  do  so  wish  there  were  more  soul-winners,  especially 
at  boys'  schools.  Somehow  many  never  seem  to  do 
more  than  pray  in  a  general  sort  of  way  for  the  children, 
and  read  good  little  books  to  them.  But  they  do  not 
seem  to  aim  at  conversion  or  anything  more  definite  than 
*good  influence,'  and  never  speak  right  out  about  salva- 
tion. They  seem  afraid  to  aim  at  it,  or  see  lions  in  the 
way.  .  .  .  And  yet  they  are  quite  clear  about  salvation 
for  themselves,  and  happy  and  trustful,  and  yet  have 
never  led  a  soul  to  Christ.  I  gave  Pillows  and  Bells  to 
a  matron  who  had  never  seen  them,  and  she  quite  caught 
at  them.  '  Just  what  she  wanted,  often  wished  she  could 
say  something  when  she  put  the  boys  to  bed,  now  she 
could  read  them  this,  and  quite  sure  they  would  be  de- 
lighted.' She  is  a  Christian,  I  have  no  doubt ;  but,  oh, 
dear  !  why  cannot  Christians  tell  these  poor  dear  boys  a 
word  about  Jesus !  and  yet  talk  so  bewitchingly  to  them 
about  anything  else ! 


1 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  187 


I  received  a  singularly  interesting  letter  from  a  lady 
who  picked  up  my  leaflet,  Have  you  not  a  Word  for 
fesuSy  in  the  street  in  Edinburgh  some  weeks  ago.  She 
has  'always  been  a  dumb  Christian,  but  dare  not  any 
longer  be  so.'  She  writes  to  ask  my  prayers  that  she 
may  henceforth  be  able  to  speak  for  Jesus. 

'  Grant  unto  Thy  servants  that  with  all  boldness  they 
may  speak  Thy  words.'  How  grandly  they  did  it  in  vers. 
29  and  32  of  the  next  chapter,  and  there  is  the  same 
Holy  Ghost  for  us. 


May  30,  1S73. 

My  dear  Fellow- Worker  (for  such  I  am  sure  you 
are), — Your  most  interesting  letter  has  been  travelling 
about,  and  only  reached  me  a  day  or  two  ago.  Do  not 
say,  '  If  indeed  a  child  of  God  at  all.'  Let  me  give  you 
a  thought  which  has  often  cheered  me  when  tempted  to 
say  the  same.  Can  you  not  set  to  your  seal  that  the 
last  clause  of  Jer.  xxxi.  3  is  true  :  *  Therefore  with 
loving-kindnesses  have  I  drawn  thee '  ?  It  is  so,  because 
you  would  not  feel  drawn  to  the  Saviour,  unless  the 
Lord  Himself  had  done  it — your  natural  heart  would 
not  draw  you,  and  Satan  would  not,  so  it  must  be  His 
own  'loving-kindnesses,'  *for  no  man  can  come  to  mc, 
except  the  Father  which  hath  sent  me  draw  him,' — 
well  then,  if  He  has  drawn  you,  why  ? 

Look  at  the  glorious  antecedent  of  the  '  therefore : ' 
'Yea,  I  have  loved  thee  with  an  everlasting  love.' 
There  is  no  escape  from  this  conclusion,  dear  friend ; 
\tu\)\  Jehovah  hath  loved  you  'with  an  everlastmg  love,' 
and  you  have  that  absolute  proof  of  it,  '  Therefore  with 
loving-kindnesses  He  hath  drawn  you.' 


1 88  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

I  feel  very  much  for  you  in  your  sad  story  of  trials, 
but  may  I  send  you  Prov.  iv.  11,  'I  have  led  you  in 
right  paths  ? '  Does  not  that  cover  all  the  life-sorrows, 
and  solve  all  the  life-mysteries?  Do  not  look  at  your 
trials  as  only  sent  for  your  own  sake  ;  see  Phil.  i.  29. 

Who  knows  for  what  blessed  service  our  Master  is 
meetening  and  polishing  you  in  your  sad  and  lonely  hours ! 

I  am  an  orphan  now,  and  have  found  the  truth  of  Ps. 
xxvii.  14,  '  When  my  father  and  my  mother  forsake  me, 
then  the  Lord  will  take  me  up  ; '  so  I  send  it  on  to  you, 
praying  that  it  may  be  yours  in  your  heart-orphanhood. 
I  am  very  thankful  to  hear  of  your  finding  my  leaflet, 
and  shall  be  very  glad  if  He  will  make  it  still  further 
helpful  to  you  in  witnessing  for  Him.  I  cannot  help  an 
impression  that  there  will  be  many  stars  in  your  crown. 
May  He  give  you  much  grace  and  courage  and  wisdom 
and  love,  and  if  it  be  His  will,  success  in  winning  souls. 


Oakhampton,/z//j/  1873. 
I  have  found  plenty  to  do  here,  and  cannot  overtake 
the  numbers  of  poor  people  who  would  like  me  to  visit 
them,  though  I  give  either  a  morning  or  evening  of  each 
day  to  it.  I  have  the  first  class  of  girls  on  Sunday  a.m., 
and  my  old  Sunday  reading  p.m.,  for  which  the  servants 
seem  grateful.  Thanks  to  Sarah  D.'s  information  and 
help,  I  have  quite  a  nice  Bible-class  on  Friday  p.m.  of 
farmers'  daughters,  and  such-like  girls.  On  Mondays,  I 
have  a  cottage  reading,  I  should  much  hke  to  begin 
another  as  well,  but  it  seems  more  prudent  not  to  begin 
too  much,  especially  as  there  is  much  visiting  to  be  done. 
. is  very  kind  and  affectionate,  but  I  see  no  en- 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  189 

couragement  to  hope  anything  more — I  have  been  crying 
over  her  to-day. 

So  glad  you  were  at  the  Conference — strange  how  that 
ahvays  slips  through  my  fingers.  I  quite  hoped  we  should 
have  been  back  for  it  this  June.  Well,  He  knows  best, 
and  perhaps  it  might  not  have  been  as  much  real  help  to 
me  as  I  was  reckoning  on.  I  am  greatly  enjoying  the  free- 
dom of  not  having  pressing  work  which  must  be  done. 
I  had  no  variety  or  society  or  anything  to  make  a  break, 
and  I  would  not  like  ever  to  have  such  another  ten 

months.     But  for  the  real  belief  that is  and  will  be 

an  influence  for  God,  I  never  could  have  stuck  to  that 
utterly  tiring  and  tiresome  proof-correcting  and  corre- 
sponding with  printers,  etc. 

I  dare  not  yet  allow  myself  a  free  fling  at  any  fresh  head 
and  eyes  work,  though  there  are  many  things  I  am 
longing  to  do  ;  but  I  feel  I  need  a  rest  from  it,  if  ever  I 
am  to  do  any  more  telling  pen-work.  So  the  visiting 
and  classes  seem  to  be  my  work  at  present,  and  though 
I  should  probably  be  wiser  if  I  gave  myself  a  real  rest 
and  holiday,  I  cannot  refuse  to  enter  such  an  open  door. 


October  1873. 

During  the  Mission  Week  at  Liverpool,  my  hymn- 
meeting  began  at  7.30 — opened  with  prayer  by  the 
Rector,  who  then  left  it  to  me.  The  hall  was  fairly  full, 
and  it  is  a  capital  place  for  sound.  It  took  a  while  to 
get  the  steam  up,  but  before  long  we  had  some  very  fair 
singing.  I  had  made  out  a  little  programme  of  hymns, 
progressing  to  a  climax  of  praise  and  brightness,  and  all 
seemed  to  enjoy  it,  the  token  thereof  being  that  when  I 


190  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

closed  at  9.15  every  one  was  astonished  at  the  time 
being  gone.  There  were  a  good  many  strangers  and 
critics  present,  which  rather  awed  me.  It  was  not  merely 
mechanical  practice,  and  I  do  not  think  it  failed  in  its 
higher  objects.  A  lady  wrote  so  gratefully  to  me  next 
day,  telling  me  of  the  new  and  full  comfort  which  had 
come  to  her  through  a  few  remarks  I  made  before  singing 
Hymn  14,  So7igs  of  Grace  and  Glory  : — 

O  my  Lord,  how  great  the  wonders 
Thy  rich  grace  has  wrought  for  me  ! 

On  Thy  love  my  spirit  ponders, 
Praising,  magnifying  Thee. 

We  sang  it  to  my  father's  tune  '  Zaanaim.' 

Friday  evening  was  much  nicer  than  Thursday.  The 
singing  went  splendidly,  and  I  felt  as  much  at  home  as 
ever  I  did  with  my  Sunday-school  class,  and  somehow 
did  not  feel  the  least  difficulty  in  reaTly  saying  out  all 
that  was  in  my  heart  about  the  hymns  themselves,  and 
the  great  subjects  of  the  Mission  Week.  Mr.  Stubbs 
begged  me  so,  not  to  refrain  from  freely  speaking.  I 
wondered  at  getting  on  so  delightfully,  but  it  was  all 
explained  by  the  Scripture  reader,  who  came  up  to  me 
after,  and  said,  *  Some  of  us  met  together  to  pray  for  you 
and  your  work  this  evening,  and  we  have  had  the  answer, 
for  I  am  sure  the  Lord  helped  you  most  sweetly.'  A 
lady  '  Professor  of  Music '  was  present,  and  came  to  me 
afterwards  most  cordially,  to  say  how  delighted  she  was 
with  the  hymns  and  tunes,  So?igs  of  Grace  and  Glory. 
She  said  she  intended  immediately  to  adopt  them  in  her 
classes  and  among  her  pupils. 

I  went  to  Mrs.  Menzies'  Y.  W.  C.  A.  house — all  is  so 
beautifully   arranged   and   managed,  and   it   is   such   a 


LETTERS,  1S70-187S.  191 

harbour  of  safety  for  numbers.  Being  Saturday,  a  good 
many  girls  were  in  the  house,  and  so  could  come  into 
my  Bible-reading.  A  great  many  are  'working  bees;' 
but  I  found  the  idea  was  to  bring  all  the  young  sisters 
or  nieces  or  cousins  that  could  be  caught  for  the 
occasion,  so  I  had  quite  a  number  of  just  the  sort  of 
girls  I  always  want  so  to  get  at.  At  first  I  wondered 
how  I  was  to  find  a  word  for  all^  as  it  was  such  a  very 
mixed  set ;  but  I  took  a  passage  which  really  did  seem 
to  contain  something  for  all,  and  took  it  almost  word  by 
word ;  and  it  was  just  what  one  wanted  for  the  occasion, 
being  a  lovely  typical  passage,  bringing  out  most  clearly 
the  three  points  of  'Coming,  Consecation,  and  Union 
with  Jesus.'  Some  told  me  afterwards  that  they  had  felt 
it  to  be  a  very  precious  message  to  themselves,  and  had 
never  thought  of  the  passage  in  that  connection  before. 
So  again  I  felt  very  distinctly  that  '  the  Lord  helped  me.' 

Mr.  S.  wanted  me  very  much  to  stay  in  the  Mission 
Hall  and  address  the  whole  gathering ;  but  of  course  I 
refused  :  I  would  not  think  of  such  a  thing — that  is  not 
my  vocation  at  all ! 

The  enormous  workhouse  is  not  far  from  here.  One 
fancies  little  gentle  Agnes  Jones  going  into  it  all  alone, 
and  clearing  out  the  Augean  stable  that  it  was ;  and  it 
seems  marvellous  how  any  woman  could  do  what  she 
did  in  that  place. 


I 


{To  Margaret  W.) 

WiNTERDYNE,  December  22,  1873. 
I  am  to-day  trying  to  write  a  New  Year's  article  for 
the  Christian  ;  it  might  suit  your  thought.     It  is  Frofn 


192  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

Glory  to  Glory  ;  it  ought  to  be  the  brightest  thing 
I  ever  wrote,  for  I  have  had  the  brightest  spiritual  bless- 
ings I  ever  yet  had.  But  positively  Satan  himself  seems 
trying  to  prevent  my  writing  it. 

December  23,  1873. 
I  send  you  From  Glory  to  Glory.  It  is  possible  it 
may  prove  to  be  what  you  feel  is  wanted.  If,  however, 
it  does  not  strike  you  as  the  thing,  will  Certainly  I 
will  be  with  thee  do?  But,  dear  Margaret,  you  and  I 
being  the  Lord's  own,  and  not  our  own,  will  fully  under- 
stand each  other.  Neither  must  be  used,  unless  you 
seem  guided  distinctly  so  to  do.  You  know  I  only 
desire  His  glory,  and  not  F.  R.  H.'s  credit ;  and  I  greatly 
shrink  from  anything  of  mine  being  used  only  as  a  sort 
of  compliment  to  me  !     You  know  I  mean  this. 


{To  E.  C.) 

December  1S73. 

I  find  dear  mother  has  already  put  up  my  New  Year's 
leaflet  Fro7n  Glory  unto  Glory  for  you ;  so  I  only  add  a 
scrap  of  loving  wish  that  even  though  all  seems  so  try- 
ing and  dark  for  you,  1874  may  nevertheless  prove  to  be 
in  every  way  '  from  glory  to  glory.' 

I  am  so  grieved  about  your  hearing — I  know  no  trial 
I  should  so  shrink  from  as  deafness — and  yet  I  have 
said  deliberately,  verse  10,  'Whatever  lies  before  us, 
there  can  be  nought  to  fear.'  I  fully  enter  into  and 
sympathize  with  all  your  feelings  and  difficulties.  Per- 
haps altogether  the  Lord  Jesus  is  about  to  show  you 
\\o\N  fully  He  can  satisfy  with  li\\n^Q\{  alone. 


LETTERS,  1 870-1 875.  193 

{To  Margaret  IV.) 

Oakham PTON,  January  25,  1874. 

More  likely  than  not,  I  shall  not  be  back  for  the 
Y.  W.  C.  A.  next  meeting.  I  wanted  so  much  to  get 
you  to  take  some  extremely  decided  steps  about  the 
unpunctuality.  I  named  it  to  two  or  three  members, 
and  the  instant  reply  was  that  it  was  your  fault  !  because 
you  never  began  at  eleven  sharp,  and  there  is  no  denying 
that  no  meetings  ever  are  punctual  unless  the  leader 
has  the  resolution  to  begin  as  the  clock  strikes  without 
ever  waiting  for  anybody.  I  should  begin  if  only  two 
were  present,  and  the  rest  would  soon  learn  better  !  Do 
bring  about  thorough  reform  in  this.  I  will  write  a 
circular  in  my  own  name,  if  you  like  !  And  I  would 
never  admit  any  one  during  the  hymn,  as  it  is  a  part  of 
our  service  as  much  as  prayer,  and  yet  it  is  regularly 
disturbed  and  treated  as  a  sort  of  '  opening  voluntary,' 
which  alway  annoys  me  intensely. 

I  had  no  idea  of  staying  so  long  here,  but  my  path  is 
most  clear,  and  there  is  special  need  of  me  here,  more 
than  at  home,  as  Maria  is  with  dear  mother.  I  have 
had  a  specially  precious  soul  given  me  at  W.  I  always 
jeap  anywhere  but  in  Leamington. 


{To J.  E.J) 

Leamington,  Fehntaiy  27,  1S74. 
I  thought  often   of  you   and  your  request  during  the 
'  Week,*  and  have  no  doubt  there  was  great  blessing.     I 
wanted  you  to  get  a  special  personal  blessing  and  lifting 


194  LETTERS,  1870-1S75. 

up,  dear  J.  Did  you?  Only  sometimes  the  richest 
blessings  flow  in  deep  under  the  surface,  and  the  taking 
root  downward  is  not  less  blessed  than  bearing  fruit 
upward. 

I  have  just  been  enjoying  thinking  out  Luke  v.  4-1 1 
in  a  less  usual  way — *  Launch  out  into  the  deep  sea  of 
the  promises.^  Has  that  ever  struck  you  ?  If  not,  will 
you  look  at  the  passage  and  see  how  beautifully  it  bears 
carrying  out,  till  it  comes  to  *  forsook  all  and  followed 
Him: 


{To J.  E.J.) 

Leamington,  March  18,  1874. 
You  will  wonder — but  I  am  so  thankful  for  your 
letter  !  Because  the  state  of  mind  you  describe  is  so 
exactly  what  I  have  seen  (and  to  a  certain  extent  ex- 
perienced) just  before  entering  into  the  full  blessing, 
the  full  rest.  He  brings  us  just  to  the  end  of  our  own 
resources,  and  even  to  the  end  of  all  hitherto  tried 
resources,  and  empties  us  altogether  (it  is  just  a  parallel 
to  the  usual  state  of  things  before  conversion).  And 
then  He  shows  us,  perhaps  in  one  flash,  perhaps 
gradually,  that  He  can  really  do  all  for  us,  really  cleanse 
as  well  as  pardon,  really  be  our  sanctification  as  well  as 
our  righteousness,  really  keep  us  moment  by  moment 
instead  of  only  a  general  kind  of  keeping  from  great  or 
final  falling.  You  do  not  limit  Christ's  '  able ; '  He  is 
able  to  keep,  able  to  do  exceeding  abundantly,  able  to 
make  all  grace  abound  to  you,  etc. ;  but  then  the  great 
question  comes — *  When  ? '  Now  answer  Him  with — 
'  Now,  Lord  ! '   And  according  to  your  faith  it  will  be  unto 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  195 

you.  Do  just  apply  the  very  things  you  would  say  to  one 
who  was  seeking  salvation,  and  use  the  very  same  means — 
'  Only  believe,'  and — '  Now.'  It  is  a  wonderful  parallel. 
I  am  not  writing  thus  because  I  have  opinions  or  have 
read  books,  but  because  I  felt  and  found  it  all  before  I 
ever  read  a  line  on  the  subject. 

I  am  praying  for  you.     I  long  for  you  to  have  '  the 
full  blessing.'     You  must  have  it. 


{To .) 

Yours  just  come.  Yes,  I  like  '  Aunt  Frances.'  You 
know  it  is  Connie's  name  for  me.  I  am  so  glad  the 
Lord  helps  you  to  trust  Him,  and  He  will.     I  am  very 

glad  you  are  looking  out  for  definite  work  in ,  as  I 

think — first,  it  is  a  real  means  of  grace,  and  the  soul  does 
not  prosper  without  it  unless  He  distinctly  withholds 
opportunity ;  and,  secondly,  if  you  give  up  some  and  all 

for 's  sake,  you  are  not  called  upon  to  relinquish  also 

the  privilege  and  duty  of  work  for  Jesus.  He  is  our 
Master,  and  He  only — His  service  must  be  sought. 

I  really  do  think  my  chick  took  in  the  message  of 
'  everlasting  love '  the  very  first  evening  !  the  soil  was 
more  prepared  than  I  had  supposed,  and  she  had  very 
earnest  desire  for  a  blessing  on  this  visit  j  and  somehow 
she  simply  believed  the  message  straight  off,  without  any 
to-do !  at  least  she  appeared  to  do  so,  and  says  it  makes 
her  so  very  happy  ! 

Dear  child,  she  is  so  changed.  Her  mother  had  given 
her  Mr.  Everard's  nice  little  book,  Nailed  to  the  Door-post ; 
so   the  next   day   she   went   to  her   (of  course  in   the 


196  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

twilight  !)  and  whispered,  *  Mamma,  I  am  nailed  to  the 
door-post ! ' 

Same  evening told  her  at  last  of  his  decision  for 

the  ministry.  So  all  has  been  extremely  happy  about 
that;  told  me  he  had  such  a  nice  talk  with  his  father 
about  it,  and  then  prayer.  So  the  dear  mother  is  singing 
Ps.  ciii.  ! 

So  glad  you  like  my  verses,  '  Far  more  exceeding,'  but 
I  never  felt  more  miserably  the  total  inadequacy  of  my 
attempt  to  touch  on  so  grand  a  theme. 


{To  the  late  Mrs.  Edivard  Pease.) 

WiNTERDYNE,  March  31,  1874. 

Dear  Mrs.  Pease, — Will  you  accept  my  w^arm  thanks 
for  your  lovely  gift.  The  Tyrolean  shawl  is  so  beautiful 
in  itself,  and  will  be  particularly  useful  during  the  semi- 
invalid  weeks  which  are  now  before  me,  that  thus  alone 
it  is  a  pleasure  to  have  it.  But  it  makes  it  a  greater 
pleasure  that  it  is  an  expression  of  Christian  friendliness 
and  sympathy.  We  cannot  be  really  strangers  when  we 
own  the  same  dear  Master,  and  love  the  same  precious 
Saviour.  It  was  so  kind  and  thoughtful  of  you  to  lend 
a  book  to  read;  it  came  just  at  the  right  time,  when  I 
was  all  the  better  for  a  little  easy  reading,  but  not  at 
all  able  for  anything  needing  consecutive  thought.  You 
have  learnt  to  anticipate  the  little  needs  of  invalids  such 
as  this,  and  I  have  benefited  by  it. 

Having  so  often  heard  of  you  from  my  sister  IMaria,  I 
feel  as  if  I  knew  you  already,  but  I  hope  very  much  I  may 
have  the  pleasure  of  your  personal  acquaintance  before 
very  long. 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  197 

May  I  take  this  opportunity  of  expressing  what  I  have 
most  strongly  felt — gratitude  to  you  for  the  great  and 
real  help  you  have  been  to  my  sister  Maria  by  supplying 
her  with,  and  supporting  a  nurse  for,  her  sick  poor.  I 
do  not  think  anything  could  have  been  devised  which 
would  more  effectually  help  and  relieve  her ;  and  we 
also  who  so  love  her,  are  most  thankful  for  the  relief 
which  it  is  to  her  in  times  of  much  illness  among  the 
poor ;  for  we  have  often  been  very  anxious  lest  she 
should  break  down.  Again  thanking  you  for  the  ex- 
quisite shawl,  allow  me  to  remain,  dear  Mrs.  Pease, 
yours  cordially. 


{To  C.  H) 

April  I,  1874. 

.  .  .  Are  you  thus  cut  off  from  pleasant  intercourse 
and  kindness  for  nothing?  Surely  not;  depend  upon  it, 
it  means  blessing,  and  will  be  a  blessing  if  you  seek  that 
it  may.  Oh,  Ceci,  Jesus  has  been  so  much  to  me  this 
winter,  more  than  ever  before.  I  send  you  a  tiny  book. 
All  for  Jesus^  which  has  been  an  unspeakable  blessing  to 
me,  and  now  I  want  you  to  be  '  all  for  Jesus.'  It  is 
very  marvellous  how  God  lately  seems  to  have  been 
stirring  up  thousands  and  thousands  of  Christians  to 
consecrate  themselves  utterly  to  Him,  and  to  seek  and 
find  more  in  Him  than  ever  before.  I  have  shared  this 
blessing,  and  now  I  want  you  to  have  it  too  1 
»  All  for  Jesus.     Partridge  &  Co. 


198  LETTERS,  1 870- 1 875. 


{To  a  H,) 

April  22,  1874. 

I  am  just  full  of  joy  and  praise  over  your  letter.  Ob, 
how  I  thanked  God  for  it !  You  will  wonder !  but  all 
you  tell  me  shows  that  He  has  really,  truly,  deeply  taken 
you  in  hand,  that  He  Himself  has  drawn  near,  and 
though  as  yet  your  eyes  are  holden,  He  is  leading  you 
right  into  fulness  of  blessing.  I  am  sure  of  it ;  what 
you  describe  is  exactly  what  I  expected  if  the  work  in 
you  were  indeed  His,  and  exactly  what  He  leads  others 
through  into  the  full  blessing  of  entire  consecration  and 
resulting  joy.  Only  let  Him  work ;  only  let  Him  do  what 
He  will  with  you,  in  you,  for  you.  He  may  bring  you  into 
yet  deeper  waters  ;  He  may  show  you  more  still  of  the  sin 
and  weakness  ;  He  will  bring  you  to  the  point  of  utter  self- 
despair,  and  then — I  know  what  then  !  Oh,  the  joy  of 
utterly  yielding  up  to  Him  !  But,  my  darling,  this  is  a 
great  soul-crisis — perhaps  you  will  never  pass  through 
such  another  ;  it  is  a  '  Now '  of  infinite  grace,  and  Satan 
will  do  his  very  utmost  to  keep  you  just  out  of  the  bless- 
ing which  he  knows  would  be  the  entrance  upon  a  glorious 
life  of  power  as  well  as  of  joy.  Oh,  do  not  yield  to  him, 
but  yield  yourself  entirely  to  Jesus.  .  .  . 

.  .  .  But  remember  nothing  can  be  really  gained  in 
this  matter  without  the  true-hearted,  whole-hearted  sur- 
render of  all  and  for  always  to  Jesus.  This  you  must 
do  j  and  yet  for  this  He  and  He  only  can  make  you 
'  willing,'  and  give  you  power  to  do  it.  But  just  look 
straight  at  His  promises  just  as  they  stand,  and  all  the 
paradox  will  be  solved.  He  '  waits  to  be  gracious '  to 
you.     Look  at   2   Cor.   vi.  17,  18,  'I  will  receive,'  etc. 


] 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  199 

With  the  very  effort  to  obey,  He  gives  the  power.  He 
gives  freely  strength  and  grace  for  whatever  He  com- 
mands.    His  commands  are  all  implied  promises. 


{To  C.  H.) 

May  1874. 

My  heart  has  written  to  you  every  day,  though  my 
pen  has  not,  because  I  have  been  rather  extra  pressed 
and  busy.  I  was  so  thankful  to  get  your  last  letter. 
Oh,  it  is  a  simply  glorious  life  that  by  His  grace 
you  have  entered,  of  real  whole-hearted  consecration 
to  Jesus.  Now,  darling,  '  stand  fast  in  the  liberty  where- 
with Christ  has  made  you  free,  and  be  not  entangled 
again  with  the  yoke  of  bondage'  (Gal.  v.  i).  And  'by 
faith  ye  stand '  (2  Cor.  i.  24),  and  He  will  give  it,  and 
increase  it.  And  you  '  are  kept  by  the  power  of  God 
through  faith '  (i  Pet.  i.  5).  But  nothing  short  of  the 
highest  level  will  do,  that  is  the  true  place  of  joy.  .  .  . 
I  am  most  thankful  that  He  has  impelled  you  to  speak 

to ;  it  is  to  me  a  test  of  your  '  gold  : '  you  cannot 

keep  it  to  yourself  if  you  really  have  the  blessing.  Yes, 
'  tell  it  out,'  and  remember  that  you  are  responsible  for 
what  He  has  given  you  of  joy  and  grace  (i  Pet.  iv.  10). 
.  .  .  Commit  your  whole  self  to  Him  to  be  *  sanctified 
wholly '  (i  Thess.  v.  23,  24).  Look  out  all  His  pro- 
mises about  it,  and  claim  them  and  believe  them.  Just 
see  for  yourself  what  His  promises  and  commands  are. 
He  gives  no  impossible  commands,  for  His  promises 
and  His  enabling  power  always  exceed  them.  Only  we 
must  believe  the   promises,  and  draw  upon  the  power. 


LETTERS,  1870-1875. 


Ask  Him  to  teach  you  all  about  it,  and  to  show  you 
practically  how  much  He  is  able  and  willing  to  do  for 
those  who  will  but  trust  His  bare  word  at  any  cost  of 
preconceived  opinions.  '  Wrong  thoughts '  are  most 
assuredly  conscious  sin,  to  be  instantly  confessed  and 
hated  and  repelled,  not  to  be  excused  or  indulged  for 
an  instant.  If  you  have  the  least  wince  of  conscience, 
at  any  cost  instantly  see  to  it,  and  let  there  be  instant 
confession,  which  surely  results  in  instant  cleansing. 
Recollect  the  glorious  word  'cleanseth,'  i.e.  'goes  on 
cleansing,'  and  claim  it  and  trust  to  it,  and  be  willing  to 
be  kept  under  the  cleansing  power  of  the  blood,  leaving 
no  place,  and  giving  no  quarter  to  even  the  shadow  of  a 
sinful  thought.  '  Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things  ? ' 
God  is  ;  and  your  sufficiency  is  of  Him  and  of  Him  only. 
See  Jude  24  ;  and  let  us  press  on  in  faith  and  hope  to 
a  really  holy  life.  Of  course,  the  happiness  will  be  in 
proportion.  Temptation  is  not  sin ;  oh,  no  !  Jesus  was 
tempted  !  But  parleying  with  temptation  is  sin.  Satan 
may  cast  a  fiery  dart,  and  it  may  pain  terribly ;  .  .  .  but 
if  our  whole  soul  loathes  and  recoils  from  it  as  He  did, 
the  sin  is  Satan's,  not  ours.  You  will  soon  experience 
the  difference  between  sinful  temptation  of  one's  own 
evil  heart,  and  temptation  from  the  Evil  One  in  which 
you  may  claim  Christ's  deepest  sympathy. 

'  Presumptuous '  to  speak  for  Jesus  !  My  dear 
Ceci,  is  it  presumptuous  of  a  soldier  to  tell  what  a 
good  general  he  has  ?  is  it  presumptuous  of  a  liberated 
slave  to  tell  of  his  deliverer  to  his  former  fellow-captives  ? 
would  it  be  presumptuous  of  me  to  speak  lovingly  and 
gratefully  to  anybody  who  had  died  instead  of  me } 
That  idea  was   a  temptation,   if  you  like  !    and  if  you 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  201 


parley  with  that,  you  will  be  dishonouring  and  sinning 
against  Him.  How  dare  we  '  hold  our  peace  ' !  It  is 
*  presumptuous  '  if  through  fear  of  man  or  conventionality 
or  self-consciousness  and  nervousness  we  are  cowards 
enough  to  accept  all  His  benefits  and  all  His  love,  and 
just  hold  our  tongues  about  it,  and  not  give  Him  the 
open  praise  of  lip  and  life  that  should  glorify  Him,  and 
yet  expect  Him  to  be  pleased  with  us,  and  continue  His 
smile  upon  us  !     That  is  horrible  presumption  ! 

As  for ,  perhaps  she  will  be  your  first  soul  for  Jesus. 

Ask  it !  I  may  tell  you  that  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that 
the  uniform  experience  of  those  who  find  blessing  is  that 
God  peculiarly  honours  the  confession  of  what  He  has 
done  for  them.  Look  at  Philem.  6.  So  I  am  peculiarly 
glad  that  you  frankly  told  her  of  your  own  blessing. 

'  Grow  ? '  Yes,  of  course,  and  expect  that  faith  and 
love   will  grow    day    by    day,    and    may    they    'grow 


exceedingly.' 


{To  C.  H.) 

Leamington,//^;/^4,  1874. 

Your  letters  make  me  so  happy  !  I  do  praise  our 
dear  Master  for  you  and  with  you.  I  quite  expected 
you  would  be  made  a  blessing  at  once — it  seems  to  be 
always  so. 

As  to  your  choir,  I  think  it  is  beginning  at  the 
wrong  end  to  press  the  Lord's  Table  first.  It  is  the 
principle  of  love  and  obedience  which  they  want,  then 
they  will  unhesitatingly  'obey'  the  command;  it  will  be 
quite  certain  to  follow.  Speak  out  fully  and  freely  to 
them  about  Jesus  Himself,  and  I  believe  that  if  He 


202  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

gives  you  grace  and  courage  to  confess  to  them  what  a 
blessing  you  have  personally  received,  there  will  be  fruit 
immediately.  .  .  . 

Be  willing  to  take  up  any  odds  and  ends  of  work 
(pen,  voice,  hands,  feet,  tongue),  which  the  Master 
puts  before  you.  And  be  quite  sure  that  He  will 
guide  thee  continually,  so  that  seeming  hindrances 
are  quite  sure  to  be  furtherances.  He  constantly  holds 
me  back  froin  some  intended  bit  of  work,  and  then  gives 
me  another  instead,  in  a  most  remarkable  way.  .  .  . 


{To .) 

May  23,  1874. 

You  were  right  about  the  'undertone  of  pain,'  ajid 
about  the  victory.  But  I  cannot  help  telling  you 
that  the  w^onderful  and  glorious  blessing  which  so 
many  Christians  are  testifying  to  having  found,  was 
suddenly,  marvellously  sent  to  me  last  winter ;  and  life 
is  now  what  I  never  imagined  life  on  earth  could  be, 
though  I  knew  much  of  peace  and  joy  in  believing  before. 
He  has  done  for  me  exceeding  abundantly  above  all  I 
asked  or  thought, — I  never  could  say  that  before,  I  say 
it  in  adoring  wonder  now.  It  seems  as  if  a  call  were 
going  forth  to  His  own  children  to  make  a  more  com- 
plete surrender  of  their  whole  selves  and  lives,  and  to 
enter  into  a  fulness  of  consecration,  which  I  for  one  had 
not  reahzed  before.  Now  I  want  you  to  have  this  too  ! 
The  Master  Himself  will  show  you  how  to  find  it,  and 
perhaps  astonish  you  as  He  did  me  with  it.  From 
Glory  to  Glory  is  the  only  piece  in  Under  the  Surface 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  203 

\vritten  after  I  found  what  life  in  Jesus  could  be,  and 
that  is  the  only  piece  which  altogether  expresses  my 
hourly  gladness, — at  least  as  far  as  expression  can  go, 
which  is  not  very  far  after  all !  This  is  overflowing 
'compensation'  on  this  shore  for  all.  I  can  set  to  my 
seal  that  this  is  true,  and  write  '  Satisfied  ! '  upon  all  the 
yearnings  you  so  truly  touch. 


{To .) 

1874. 
I  was  more  glad  than  surprised  at  your  letter,  for  I 
had  a  strong  impression  that  this  would  come  about.  I 
am  so  very  thankful  that  your  first  time  after  leaving 
school  is  to  be  with  such  a  family.  The  first  year  or 
two  (after  school)  is  perhaps  the  most  important  time  of 
your  whole  life ;  and  I  have  long  hoped  and  prayed  that 
if  you  were  not  with  your  own  dear  mother,  you  might 
be  where  a  decidedly  spiritual  atmosphere  might  be 
around  you,  and  where  you  might  learn  to  take  such  a 
decided  stand  on  Christ's  side,  that  it  should  never  again 
be  a  doubt  or  even  a  difficulty  to  you  to  *  stand  up  for 
Jesus,'  wherever  you  might  subsequently  be.     And  this 

you  will  have  with .    But  remember  'Paul  may  plant 

and  Apollos  water,  but  only  God  can  give  the  increase ; ' 
so  do  make  it  a  special  prayer,  that  you  may  really  profit 
by  the  privileges  you  will  have  ;  that  you  may  lose  none 
of  the  blessings  which  will  be  around  you,  but  that  you 
may  be  'strengthened  and  stablished  and  settled'  in 
your  spiritual  Hfe ;  that  you  may  be  no  weak  Christian, 
but  become  '  strong  in  the  grace  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.' 
I  am  so  glad  that  I   shall  have  you  with  me  all  the 


204  LETTERS,  1870- 1875. 


autumn,  and  I  hope  that  I  shall  be  a  little  bit  of  help  to 
you  in  many  ways. 

No  teacher  ever  has  only  and  altogether  smooth 
sailing,  and  it  would  be  no  real  advantage  to  have  no 
difficulties,  or  we  should  never  learn  to  overcome  them, 
and  should  gain  no  strength  of  character.  Your  pupil 
is  accustomed  to  obedience,  and  she  has  a  dear  little 
heart,  and  is  singularly  affectionate  and  easily  touched, 
and  that  sort  of  material  to  work  upon  is  a  great  thing. 

Children  are  managed  best  if  you  show  from  the  outset 
that  whatever  you  say  has  to  be  done ;  so  be  rather 
careful  in  what  you  do  say.  Never  say  a  thing  is  to  be 
done,  which  you  are  not  quite  sure  ought  and  must  be 
done,  so  as  not  to  have  to  retract  or  give  in  ;  but  once 
said  carry  it  out!  As  a  rule,  I  always  unhesitatingly 
advise  governesses  to  ask  to  have  their  supper  upstairs, 
so  as  to  secure  time  to  go  on  with  steady  plans  for  self- 
improvement,  reading,  and  practising,  etc. 

You  will,  I  am  sure,  be  kind  and  pleasant  and  gentle 
to  the  maids — if  they  think  any  one  is  stuck  up  and 
gives  unnecessary  trouble,  they  do  not  like  it ;  but  speak 
pleasantly,  and  thank  civilly,  and  consult  their  con- 
venience instead  of  positively  ordering  things,  and 
then  you  will  be  waited  on  night  or  day  like  a  princess  ! 

I  do  hope  you  will  be  a  good  psalmodist,  so  practise 
thoroughly  a  few  tunes  from  Havergal's  Psalmody  ;  try 
'Chesalon,'  'Goldbach,'  'Franconia,'  'Hermas,'  'Claudia,' 
*  Nassau,'  '  Sternberg,'  '  Hobah,'  '  Persis,'  '  Zaanaim,' 
*Idumea,'  'Sihor,'  'Patmos,'  also  my  father's  special 
tune  'Evan,'  both  arrangements,  i.  and  2.,  and  'Cul- 
bach,'  'lona,'  'Eden,'  'Tryphosa,'  etc. 

You  may  imagine    I    cannot   write    many  such  long 


LETTERS,  1 870-1875.  205 

letters  as  this,  for  I  have  received  nearly  600  letters 
the  last  six  months,  and  of  course  letters  must  be 
answered. 

Dear ,  do  pray  most  earnestly  in  this  interval  that 

God's  very  special  blessing  may  be  upon  this  step. 
Nothing  can  prosper  without  that.  Do  not  furl  your 
colours  ! 

I  am  afraid  I  am  really  more  anxious  about  your  body 
than  your  soul !  but  I  do  so  want  you  not  to  be  foolish, 
and  get  overdone  for  nothing.  So  that  you  fulfil  faith- 
fully your  duties  to  your  pupil,  you  have  no  right  (as 
regards  your  positive  duty  to  your  mother  and  to  yourself) 
to  get  flitigued  and  overdone,  and  perhaps  lay  the  founda- 
tion of  delicate  health,  just  for  want  of  moral  courage  to 
say  '  I  am  tired,'  or  to  face  the  very  awful  trial  of  any 
one  wondering  why  you  did  retire  early,  or  not  go  to  the 
evening  service ;  I  should  feel  less  strongly  about  it,  if  I 
had  not  split  on  the  same  rock.  You  must  7iot  sacrifice 
health  and  strength  for  nothing.  May  He  give  you  tact 
and  wisdom  in  this  and  all  else.  Never  allow  children 
to  be  inconsiderate,  or  needlessly  imposing  on  you. 

You  must  not  be  depressed,  you  inusf  rouse  out  of  it 
and  go  cheerily  to  your  work  again.  What  would  you 
do,  if  you  had  the  real  causes  of  depression  v.-hich  so 
many  young  governesses  have  ?  But  you  are  trying,  and 
I  am  so  glad — only  you  must  make  a  real  point  of  con- 
science about  it,  and  pray  vigorously  and  constantly  for 
help  in  this  thing. 

I  think is  a  little  better,  and  she  seemed  so  very 

bright  and  happy  that    I  thought  she  set  somebody  of 


2o6  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 


my  acquaintance  a  bright  example  of  trust  and  patience 
and  cheerfulness ! 

'  Now  then  do  it ! '     See  what  2  Sam.  iii.  17-18  says, 

I  am  very  anxious  to  hear  how  you  are,  but  if  only 
you  are  as  well  as  I  think,  it  will  do  you  good  in  many 
ways  to  be  alone  awhile.  Often  we  are  least  alone  when 
most  alone.  Only  we  must  not  take  it  for  granted  that  as 
a  matter  of  course  the  Lord  Jesus  will  draw  near.  He 
will  be  sought,  and  pressed  to  enter  in  and  abide  with 
us  ;  but  if  we  do  thus  entreat  Him  to  be  with  us.  He 
surely  will  be.  Every  new  position  is  like  being  put  for 
a  while  into  a  different  class  in  His  school ;  there  will 
be  new  lessons  to  learn  and  new  progress  to  make.  So, 
darling,  I  wonder  what  He  has  to  teach  you  now  during 
the  next  few  weeks — certainly  something,  so  'watch  to 
see  what  He  will  say  unto  you.'  Do  not  overtire  your- 
self, because  remember  this  is  your  holiday,  and  you 
must  not  come  back  fagged  out.  I  am  more  afraid  of 
your  doing  too  much  than  too  little.  Look  at  Isa.  Iviii. 
II,  and  find  out  in  your  concordance  all  His  promises 
under  'guide'  and  'lead,'  and  see  what  fulness  of  assurance 
He  gives  you. 


(r.  — .) 

June  15,  1874. 

...  I  do  not  know  that   I  can  do  more  than  send 

you  what  cost  me  the  greatest  struggle  I  ever  had  to 

allow  anything  to  be  printed.^     The  way  in  which  my 

Master  came  and  astonished  me  by  giving  me,  even  me, 

1  Siich  a  Blessing.     Partridge  &  Co. 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  207 


a  blessing,  which   I   had   hardly  heard  of,  much  less 
understood,  was  more  than  I  could  have  imagined. 

Now  I  simply  and  strongly  believe  that  His  hand  is 
open  and  ready  to  give  the  same  blessing  to  all  who  will 
have  it ;  therefore  to  you,  dear  friend.  And  the  desires 
which  you  describe  look  to  me  like  a  sure  earnest  that 
you  will  have  it.  Oh  do  not  compare  yourself  with 
others — thousands  are  shutting  themselves  out  from  this 
blessing,  because  they  will  not  believe  it — and  thus 
hindering  others  too,  who  argue  that  '  because  So-and-so 
has  not  experienced  it,  and  yet  is  far  in  advance  of  me, 
therefore  I  ought  not  to  expect  it.'  Dear  Miss  S.,  go 
independently  to  the  Lord  Jesus  and  just  see  what  He 
will  do  for  yo.u  !  Oh  !  believe  that  *  able '  means  '  able  ' 
and  no  less,  and  that  '  all '  means  '  all '  and  no  less ;  and 
taking  these  two  words  as  your  starting-point,  go  and 
simply  search  and  see  what  the  Lord  can  do  for  you, 
and  what  He  promises  to  do.  You  will  receive.  He  has 
not  given  you  the  desire  for  nothing,  He  will  fulfil  it. 
And  he  can  do  it  without  any  human  teaching— you  see 
I  had  none  whatever  except  that  one  single  sentence  of 
reply  from  Mr.  \V.  The  Lord  did  all  the  rest.  Only 
I  must  own  to  you,  'to  the  praise  of  His  glory,'  that  the 
blessing  described  in  the  little  book  not  only  lasts  but 
increases.  It  is  even  having  a  great  effect  upon  my 
health,  for  all  touch  of  worry,  care,  anxiety,  and  fidget 
about  anything  earthly  or  heavenly  is  all  gone.  Jesus 
takes  it  «//,  and  the  rest  of  faith  is  more  perfect  and 
uninterrupted  than  I  imagined  it  possible  for  any  one 
of  my  own  nervous,  highly-strung  temperament  to  enjoy. 
All  His  doing !  I  was  powerless, — and  never  saw  my 
own  weakness  and  my   own  sinfulness  as  I  sec  them, 


2o8  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 


now  that  I  am  finding  power  and  sanctification  in 
Jesus.  Do  not  imagine  there  need  be  delay — at  once, 
on  getting  this,  let  me  beg  you  to  break  through  ever)^- 
thing — go  straight  and  yield  up  your  whole  self,  unbelief 
and  all,  to  Jesus,  and  receive  the  blessing.  I  think  I 
shall  soon  hear  you  have  it. — Yours  in  loving  hope. 


{To  M.  V.  G.  H.) 

1874. 

I  must  send  a  copy  of  a  note  just  received.  See, 
Marie,  dear  !  I  know  my  witness  does  not  go  for  much, 
but  when  one  after  another  of  old-established  Christians 
come  forward  and  say  they  have  received  a  blessing 
which  they  have  never  had  before,  and  which  they  had 
not  even  imagined,  can  its  reality  be  doubted  ?  It  is 
mostly  those  who  are  looking  for  it  who  get  it ;  but  in 
some  cases,  as  with  myself.  He  seems  to  come  and 
astonish  His  children  by  an  utterly  unexpected  blessing. 
In  answering  the  first  letter,  I  felt  strongly  that  it  was 
due  to  the  Lord  to  acknowledge  what  a  blessing  had 
come  to  me  immediately  after  their  special  prayer  for 
me,  as  well  as  the  coincidences  about  the  hymn.  I 
hesitated  much  and  prayed  very  earnestly  to  be  guided 
whether  or  not  to  send  Such  a  Blessing.  I  recollected 
vividly  all  that  had  been  said  about  hindering  and  lessen- 
ing my  influence  if  I  spoke  out ;  and  then  I  saw  that  this 
might  be  all  temptation,  and  that  I  might  be  grieving  the 
Holy  Spirit's  influence  if  I  resisted  the  strong  impulse  to 
send  it.  So  I  committed  it  all  to  God,  and  trusted  Him 
to  send  power  with  the  little  book  and  the  letter  I  wrote 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  209 

with  it.  Now,  only  see  !  Has  He  not  reproved  me  for 
my  faint-heartedness  in  fearing  to  tell  of  His  goodness  to 
me?  What  could  be  more  overwhelming  than  such  an 
immediate  result !  Strangely  enough,  it  has  been  so  all 
along — in  almost  every  instance  in  which  I  have  entrusted 
all  to  my  Master,  and  spoken  or  written/;^'^^/>'and  just  as 
I  felt  He  was  guiding  me,  blessing  has  resulted  immedi- 
ately :  from  the  day  I  went  to  Areley  House  till  now.  I 
still  wait  (in  obedience),  but  I  cannot  help  believing  that 
if  I  had  all  this  spring  been  speaking  out  freely  and  fear- 
lessly, I  should  have  had  tenfold  more  blessing  and 
result.  I  have  had  very  much,  but  not  so  much 
as  I  might  have  had.  I  would  give  anything  for  all 
around  me  to  enter  into  the  fulness  of  'this  miracle 
of  love' — why  should  I  refrain  from  seeking  to  lead 
others  into  this  utter  rest  of  heart,  which  I  know  is  no 
fancy?  For  the  present  I  will  still  7uait — I  will  not 
deviate  from  my  present  nearly  invariable  silence  till 
after  I  have  been  to  Switzerland. 

On  the  very  same  day,  while  I  was  praying  for  it,  the 
full  blessing  was  poured  out  just  gloriously  upon  a  new 
friend  of  mine,  daughter  of  that  special  friend  of  dear 
mother's.  They  are  going  to  have  C.  M.  S.  sermons 
in  St.  Paul's,  and  '  Tell  it  out '  is  to  be  sung.  (See 
Appendix.) 


{To  E.  C.) 

1S74. 
I  am  more  thankful  than  astonished.  ...  I  am  so 
glad  for  you,  and  feel  sure  that  you  will  be  increasingly 
blessed.     I  only  earnestly  hope  that  nothing  of  the  same 


LETTERS,  1870-1875. 


kind  of  opposition  will  be  roused  as  here.  It  is  singular 
that  while  your  mouth  is  opened,  my  mouth  is  altogether 
closed !  is  more  and  more  strong  against  the  Con- 
ference, and  several  things  connected  with  her  make  it 
my  clear  duty  to  submit  and  be  silent. 

I  want  you  to  pray  specially  for  me  on  Wednesday 
about  T2.15.  It  seems  that  some  extra  bold  requests  of 
mine  at  the  last  meeting,  both  for  prayer  and  praise, 
rather  startled  the  Association  members, — the  writer,  of 
course,  they  guessed  to  be  me.  So  Margaret  is  most 
anxious  that  I  should  use  the  opportunity,  and  at  our 
next  meeting  give  *  personal  testimony,'  a  totally  new 
thing  in  our  meetings,  telling  them  frankly  what  great 
things  the  Lord  has  done  for  me  as  to  answering  prayer. 
She  trusts  it  may  stimulate  the  whole  Association.  I 
know  it  will  considerably  astonish  them  if  I  do  this 
unprecedented  thing :  then  I  cannot  do  this  without 
going  farther.  I  must  tell  out  clearly  upon  what  I 
believe  this  fulfilment  of  John  xv.  7  hinges.  Once 
started,  I  shall  probably,  God  helping  me,  speak  very 
strongly  upon  surrender  and  consecration  (Matt.  viii.  10); 
obedience,  instant  and  implicit ;  and  faith  '  without  taking 
off  discount,' — as  it  may  be  the  only,  as  it  is  the  first 
opportunity  of  really  addressing  them  and  speaking 
personally  and  rousingly.  Of  course  I  shall  carefully 
avoid  all  shibboleths.  Now,  will  you  pray  that  the  Lord 
would  put  His  words  in  my  mouth,  and  that  I  may  say 
neither  more  nor  less  than  He  would  have  me  say  ? 

I  am  quite  satisfied  that  God  is  leading  me  aright ;  I 
only  better  understand  the  special  help  I  want  for  Wed- 
nesday. To-day  the  words  have  come  very  sweetly  to 
me,  *  Until  the  time  appointed  of  the  Father '  (Gal.  iv.  2); 


LETTERS,  1870-1875. 


and  I  shall  be  free  to  speak  and  act  as  I  would  like  when 
His  time  comes.  I  know  nothing  I  should  be  more  glad 
of  than  if  mother  would  invite  you  here.  She  will  not 
just  yet,  I  know;  but  when  she  does,  do  strain  a  point, 
and  come. 

Well,  dear  E.,  the  Master  knows  what  He  has  given, 
and  what  He  has  promised,  and  what  He  will  do ;  and  I 
do  not  expect  He  will  disappoint  me. 

Mr.  S.  says  he  has  had  such  joy  in  thinking,  '  Enoch 
walked  with  God '  300  years !  Then  is  our  life  to  be 
worse  and  less  than  his  ?  Nay,  rather,  '  some  even  better 
thing '  1     Is  not  that  good  ? 


{To  M.  V.  G.  //.) 

The  Parsonage,  Bockixg,/zw<?  19,  18/4. 

I  did  not  mean  to  write  any  circulars,  but  must  send 
one  London  and  Booking  account.  Once  out  of  England, 
I  shall  leave  all  that  to  Connie,  who  will  thus  have  a 
grand  chance  of  distinguishing  herself  as  a  general  cor- 
respondent. 

I  was  consternated  at  finding  H.  had  made  engage- 
ments for  every  day !  However,  I  felt  sure  I  should  be 
*  cared  for,'  and  so  did  not  trouble  about  it.  She  took 
me  to  Dore's  pictures.  The  two  great  new  ones  are 
inoj'c  striking  than  the  others.  I  wish  I  could  stay  to 
describe  the  weird  beauty  of  'The  Dream  of  Pilate's 
Wife.'  Then  I  had  a  pleasant  and  long  interview  with 
Nisbet  {the  Watson  of  the  London  Board).  I  am 
delighted  with  him — so  very  kind  and  nice.  He  was 
called  away  for  a  few  minutes,  and  brought  me  a  great 


LETTERS,  1 870- 1 875. 


book  of  reviews,  that  I  might  amuse  myself  with  reading 
up  those  under  '  Havergal ' ! — several  capital  ones  which 
I  had  not  seen. 

I  returned  with  ;  and  at  8   p.m.  we  went  to  a 

party,  and  I  was  horrified  at  hearing  carriages  ordered 
12.30  !  However,  by  special  favour  to  me,  ours  was 
ordered  at  11.30.  I  wondered  what  I  was  there  for,  and 
soon  found  out !  For  it  is  so  strange  how  people  drift 
me  into  actual  personal  religious  conversation.  No  one 
could  say  I  force  it,  and  I  knoiu  I  do  not ;  but,  for 
instance,  one  gentleman,  who  began  with  small-talk  and 
badinage,  found  himself  in  five  minutes  (we  were  in  a 
quiet  corner)  face  to  face  with  personal  salvation.  I 
really  do  not  know  how  it  came  about,  but  there  it  was ; 
and  he  owned  that  he  never  thought  of  anything  more 
than  *  how  to  get  comfortably  through  the  world,'  and 
'  did  not  trouble  himself  about  another  just  yet' — he  got  so 
sobered  down,  and  greatly  interested ;  promised  to  think 
it  all  over,  and  thanked  me.  That  was  by  no  means  the 
only  one  I  seemed  sent  to  that  evening.  I  was  so  glad 
I  could  sing  so  as  to  make  them  all  listen ;  for  it  was  a 
large  double  room,  and  all  were  perfectly  silent  for  my 
music.  I  shall  probably  never  know^  but  I  do  not  see 
why  I  should  doubt  that  seed  dropped  that  night  took 
root. 

11th  June. — I  intended  to  have  a  quiet  writing  morn- 
ing, but  suddenly  felt  a  strong  impulse  to  go  and  hunt 
up  Miss  Grant,  who  knew  my  father  abroad,  but  whom  I 
have  never  met.  I  sent  in  my  card,  and  she  came  open- 
armed  ;  strangely  enough,  for  an  hour  before  I  came  she 
had  been  thinking  and  praying  over  something  of  mine 
w^hich  seems  to  have  stirred  her  deeply,  and  longing 


LETTERS,  1870- 1875.  213 


especially  by  any  means  to  meet  me,  having  no  idea  I 
was  in  London !  So  she  thought  I  was  almost  miracu- 
lously sent !  I  was  so  glad  I  went;  she  just  wanted  a 
bit  of  special  comfort.  She  said  her  father,  a  literary 
man  and  editor,  wished  very  much  to  see  me ;  so  another 
day  I  had  a  most  delightful  hour  with  him. 

One  day  Rev.  D.  came  to  dinner — I  wish  there 
were  5000  more  such  curates  —  a  real  downright, 
devoted  fellow,  and  all  the  sunshine  in  his  face  and  over 
his  life  and  work,  and  having  the  joy  of  winning  souls. 
He  is  one  who  has  found  special  joy  and  blessing  of 
late,  and  Mrs  D.  too;  in  fact,  I  hear  of  it  on  all 
sides — Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  passing  by  in  a  most  striking 
way  among  His  own  people  with  hitherto  unrealized 
blessings  for  them. 

\(ith. — Arrived  at  Bocking  Parsonage  in  answer  to 
earnest  entreaty  from  the  daughter  of  one  of  dear 
mother's  especial  friends  whom  I  had  met  at  home. 

It  is  most  odd  how  in  this  out-of-the-way  place  people 
know  everything  I  write,  and  I  was  so  amused  to  find 
that  even  the  school  children  wanted  to  catch  sight  of 
me  !  But  better  than  that,  God  Himself  seemed  to  have 
given  a  strong  expectation  that  if  I  came,  it  would  be 
for  blessing — and  so  I  feel  sure  it  was.  I  had  the  ladies 
for  a  drawing-room  meeting  on  Wednesday,  and  a  little 
gathering  of  young  girls  and  women  on  Thursday,  and 
I  did  so  enjoy  them.  As  I  do  it,  it  is  far  less  fatiguing 
than  a  party.  You  see  otherwise  these  ladies  would 
have  been  asked  to  tea,  and  I  should  have  been  chatter- 
ing to  ones  or  twos,  and  singing  Handel,  and  so  on  for 
three  or  four  hours,  and  not  getting  so  soon  to  rest  as 
usual.       Instead    of    this,    they    came    at    7.30,    and 


214  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

when  all  were  ready  I  went  straight  to  my  place 
and  opened  with  a  little  prayer  \  then — what  if  I  did 
talk  about  Deut.  xxxiii.  12  for  about  an  hour,  I  had  it 
all  my  own  way,  telling  them  just  what  I  wanted  to 
tell  them,  and  what  my  own  heart  was  full  of,  with  no 
tension  of  trying  to  meet  remarks  wisely,  and  trying  to 
make  the  most  of  opportunities,  etc.,  which  would  have 
gone  on  for  three  hours  at  least  at  a  party.  And  then 
I  knew  they  wanted  this,  and  wanted  just  the  blessings 
I  was  telling  them  of;  and  then  I  could  entirely  trust 
the  Master  all  the  time  to  keep  guiding  every  word,  so 
that  it  is  the  smoothest  of  smooth  saihng.  After  hymn 
and  prayer,  I  asked  if  any  one  would  like  to  ask  any 
questions,  and  two  or  three  asked  very  useful  and 
suggestive  ones,  which  I  was  delighted  to  answer.  It 
was  all  over  in  an  hour  and  a  half.  I  do  not  say  it  did 
not  tire  me  last  year,  but  I  find  my  expectation  fulfilled 
now,  and  that  I  can  do  it  quite  differently,  i.e.  without 
any  excitement  or  nervousness  whatever.  I  look  to  my 
Master  to  give  me  just  what  He  will,  and  I  feel  He 
does  help  me,  and  I  leave  the  whole  thing  with  Him.  I 
took  a  previously  prepared  subject,  so  only  needed  quiet 
thought  and  prayer  beforehand.  I  felt  sure  God  would 
bless  these  meetings,  and  He  certainly  did — several  find- 
ing new  light  and  joy.  All  the  time  I  was  there  I  had 
such  a  vivid  sense  of  His  exceeding  goodness  and  love 
that  I  do  not  think  I  ever  spent  a  happier  four  days. 
One  cannot  tell  everything,  but  I  do  not  think  either  of 
my  visits  were  resultless. 

20th. — I  went  to  Bishop  Stortford  to  see  Ernest  H. ; 
he  is  such  a  dear  little  fellow,  and  was  very  com- 
municative, and  greatly  entertained  with  my  alpenstock. 


LETTERS,  1870-1875. 


He  came  to  see  me  off  at  the  station :  a  pleasant 
man  in  my  carriage  asked  me  a  question  about  the 
place ;  so  I  referred  him  to  Ernest,  who  gave  him 
explicit  information.  Then  he  said,  '  I  wished  to  know, 
because  I  hope  to  hold  some  children's  meetings  here.' 
So  I  said,  '  It  is  Mr.  Spiers,  I  am  sure  ! '  And  so  it 
was !  He  gave  Ernest  some  books,  and  promised  me 
to  patronize  him  specially  in  the  autumn.  I  asked  him 
about  his  work,  which  is  certainly  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  things  going,  and  got  a  great  deal  of  really 
useful  material  from  him.  Then  he  asked  me  what  my 
work  was,  and  I  told  him  '  whatever  came  to  hand  ! '  But 
as  that  was  not  definite  enough  for  him,  I  oifered  my 
leaflet  Frotn  Glory  to  Glory  as  my  card  \  and  he  was 
so  delighted.  I  arrived  at  Mrs.  C.'s,  who  is  delightful  ! 
It  is  a  sort  of  dream  to  be  at  Mildmay ;  it  is  very 
delicious. 


{To  M.  V.  G.  H) 

1S74. 

I  went  to  tea  with  Messrs.  H.  &  R.  at  their  business 
house ;  Mr.  H.  was  bent  upon  Mr.  R.  hearing  me  sing 
my  '  Tell  it  out '  and  '  When  thou  passest  through  the 
waters.'  I  had  a  most  interesting  afternoon,  half  busi- 
ness, half  pleasure.  Both  of  them  were  taken  with 
'  Tell  it  out,'  and  think  it  '  such  a  hit,'  etc.,  and  are 
going  to  issue  it  at  once  in  song  form,  as  solo  and  chorus 
with  piano  accompaniment.  Then  they  wanted  more 
of  the  same,  and  I  sang  my  tunes  '  Euodias '  to  '  'Tis  the 
church  triumphant,'  and  *  Onesimus '  to  '  Only  for  Thee,' 
and  'Hermas'  to  'Golden  harps  are  sounding,' and  others; 


2i6  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

and  they  wish  me  to  prepare  a  whole  set.  They  say, 
*  Tell  it  out '  is  safe  to  go.  Mr.  R.  had  never  heard  me 
play  any  sacred  music  before,  and  he  started  up,  and 
said,  '  Ha  !  you  are  mistress  here  ! '  He  exceedingly 
admires  '  When  thou  passest,'  and  is  going  to  pubHsh  it. 
Mr.  H.  sings  splendidly  himself — clear,  high  cultivated 
tenor  voice. 

I   so  enjoyed   my  visit  to  :  was  let  alone,  and 

could  write  in  peace  ;  then  quiet  pony  drives  with  Mrs. 

.     Some  pleasant  work  opened  for  me.     I  believe 

one  has  really  taken  the  great  step  this  week,  and  three 
others  are  earnestly  seeking,  and  I  am  very  hopeful  about 
one  of  the  servants. 

You  wanted  me  to  write  penny  books.  You  have  seen, 
/  also  for  Thee^  and  Caswell  will  publish  one  for  the 
New  Year,  The  Five  Benefits.  Parlane  is  doing  Packet  IV. 
of  my  Leaflets. 


{To  M.  W) 

All  my  care  is  upon  His  shoulders  now  !  I  have  no 
burden,  not  an  ounce.  Blessed  work  here — one  con- 
version and  three  grand  blessings  to  tell  about  in  this 
house  since  I  came  a  week  ago,  and  'more  to  follow,' 
I  am  sure,  for  the  Master  is  evidently  here.  So  is  Satan  ! 
for  I  never  had  such  a  pitched  battle  with  him  as  last 
Wednesday — a  soul  seemed  all  but  lost,  and  I  never 
heard  more  distressing  words.  I  was  at  it  till  after  mid- 
night— the  battle  is  still  pending. 

I  was  terribly  distressed  for  a  whole  day,  because  it 
seemed  like  living  in  sheer  disobedience  to  my  Lord. 
*  In    everything  give  thanks,' — and   how   could    I   give 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  217 

thanks  that  my  poor  F.  had  lost  the  blessing  !  I  could 
not  *  thank '  for  a  trial  which  was  not  for  God's  glory,  but 
seemed  all  the  devil's  doing.  Then  I  suddenly  saw  I 
had  not  been  taking  the  literal  words  !  It  is  not  '  For 
everything,'  but  only  '  In  ; '  so  I  forthwith  began  to  '  give 
thanks '  '  in '  my  sorrow,  and  felt  greatly  comforted. 
Was  I  rights  do  you  think  ? 


{To .) 

October  19,  1874. — So  you,  too,  are  being  stirred  up 
by  the  '  loving  Spirit '  to  seek  holiness  and  rest  beyond 
what  you  have  as  yet  found  !  Thank  God  !  And  I 
know  not  how  to  thank  Him  enough  that  though  only  a 
year  ago  I  knew  absolutely  nothing  of  this  blessed  life 
— had  not  even  read  one  word  about  it, — I  can  now  tell 
you  joyously  that  His  own  Hand  has  led  me  into  it,  and 
that  for  nearly  a  year  I  have  not  known  what  it  is  to 
have  a  shadow  of  care  in  things  temporal  or  spiritual : 
all  is  cast  upon  Him,  and  He  gives  me  victory  and 
gladness  in  response  to  the  utter  trust  (which  is  no  less 
His  gift) ;  so  that  it  is  living  a  new  life,  and  one  which  I 
really  did  not  even  suppose  to  be  possible  on  earth.  I 
enclose  you  what  cost  me  more  to  lay  at  the  Master's 
feet  than  anything  ever  did.  You  will  easily  understand 
the  shrinking  from  allowing  such  letters  to  be  printed ; 
but  He  has  so  very  marvellously  blessed  this  little  book, 
...  it  says  so  much  more  than  I  have  time  to  say  in 
letters.  He  is  the  same  Lord,  rich  unto  all  that  call 
upon  Him,  and  the  same  fulness  of  blessing  is  as  open  to 
you  as  to  me:  only  taste  and  see:  only  trust;  only  let  Him 


2i8  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

do  what  He  will  with  you  ;  only  take  His  promises  (and 
His  commands  too)  just  as  they  stand,  '  without  taking 
off  any  discount.'  .  .  .  He  will  teach  and  lead  you,  and 
show  you  what  He  is  able  to  do  for  you.  And  may  you 
soon  know  the  full  blessedness  of  utter  surrender,  con- 
tinual cleansing,  absolute  trust,  and  impHcit  obedience. 

...  I  should  like  to  tell  you,  as  well  as  many  other 
dear  ones,  how  it  has  all  been  one  song  of  goodness  and 
mercy,  and  how  I  want  to  sing  out  His  faithfulness,  and 
tell  all  His  dear  children  that  they  need  indeed  '  fear  no 
evil'  .  .   . 

Will  you  look  into  each  clause  of  the  sixfold  promise 
contained  in  the  beatitude  of  '  trust '  ?  (Jer.  xvii.  7,  8). 
You  will  enjoy  it  if  you  have  not  yet  gone  right  into 
those  two  verses. 

October  30,  1874. —  .  .  .  How  good  He  is  !  Oh,  I  am 
so  thankful  for  you  !  And  now  entrust  your  trust  to  Him, 
and  '  the  future  is  one  vista  of  brightness  and  blessed- 
ness '  .  .  . — Yours  in  joy  and  love. 

.  .  .  What  you  tell  me  of  the  Lord  setting  His  mani- 
fested seal  upon  two  of  my  hymns,  *  O  thou  chosen 
Church  of  Jesus,'  and  '  Certainly  I  will  be  with  thee,' 
made  me  feel  very  unworthy  and  very  thankful,  and  (I 
cannot  help  saying  it)  sent  a  new  thrill  of  love  through 
my  heart  to  Him  who  is  so  good  to  me.  If  you  ever 
sing  my  hymns  again,  will  you  send  up  a  prayer  that  I 
may  more  and  more  rejoice  in  the  truths  which  they 
feebly  represent ;  and,  if  it  be  our  Master's  will,  that  He 
would  give  me  yet  many  more  powerful  messages  of  song, 
for  I  cannot  write  without  Him. 


LETTERS,  1 870- 1 87 5.  219 


{To  J.  T.  W.) 

WlxNTERDYNE,   1875. 

This  is  a  very  suffering  Sunday,  and  it  \Yill  be  a  relief 
to  write  and  ask  you  to  pray  for  me  that  the  Lord  would 
let  patience  have  her  perfect  work  in  me,  and  that  I  may 
really  glorify  Him  in  pain.  I  was  gaining  strength 
steadily  till  a  few  days  ago,  and  had  arrived  at  being 
able  to  walk  across  the  room  once  or  twice  a  day;  but 
now  I  have  such  intense  pain,  especially  at  night,  that  I 
do  feel  it  to  be  very  real  '  chastening.'  He  has  enabled 
me  to  be  quite  patient  so  far,  and  it  is  not  that  I  fear 
His  grace  will  fail  for  what  is  yet  before  me ;  but,  dear 
friend,  will  you  ask  that  it  may  not  only  not  fail,  but 
abound.  My  doctor  says  it  may  pass  in  a  few  days,  but 
that  it  may  be  a  much  longer  affair ;  anyhow,  I  have 
need  of  patience  if  only  for  the  'few  days.'  But  I  am 
clinging,  yes,  and  resting,  all  the  time,  and  the  '  perfect 
peace  '  is  not  touched. 

And  now  I  want  to  tell  you  a  bit  of  good  news.  I 
did  mean  with  all  my  heart  and  soul,  'Take  my  will,  it 
thall  be  Thine,'  but  I  did  not  quite  dare  to  think  He 
/tad  taken  it.  But  now  need  I  doubt  it  any  more? 
For  I  am  sure  my  will  would  not  have  been  perfectly 
satisfied  and  happy  under  present  circumstances  if  He 
had  not  taken  it.  It  would  not  come  natural  to  me  not 
lo  feel  pain.  But  I  do  lament  over  want  of  growth  in 
-race,  because  that  must  be  my  fault.  I  think  any  other 
Christian  would  have  made  progress  in  these  five  months 
of  illness,  (except  in  the  matter  of  trust,  and  perhaps  of 
patience),  I  do  not  sec  that  I  have.  I  never  saw  so 
much  '  unpossessed  ground  '  as  now,  nor  more  of  *  un- 


220  LETTERS,  1870- 1875. 


conquered  territory.'  Yet,  on  the  other  hand,  I  have 
cause  to  praise  with  joyful  lips,  for  more  possessed  and 
conquered  than  two  years  ago  I  should  have  supposed 
possible. 

My  Bells  and  Pillows  are  such  a  success  numeri- 
cally. Your  '  100  acres '  is  a  delightful  illustration.  But 
I  would  trust  my  husbandman  still,  even  if  there  were  no 
crop  visible  next  year  !  But  perhaps  there  will  be  !  I 
am  nearly  sure  I  shall  disappoint  the  expectation  of  my 
friends — as  to  outward  fruit,  writing,  etc. ;  but  so  that  I 
don't  disappoint  the  Master,  it  won't  be  so  bad.  It  may 
be  very  long  before  I  write  again,  if  ever.  You  had  a 
fallow  time,  had  you  not,  not  long  after  your  blessing  ? 
Were  you  conscious  of  increased  blessing  after  ?  How- 
ever, an  '  afterward  '  of  '  peaceable  fruit '  is  sure^  because 
promised  in  every  trial. 


{To  J.  T.  W.) 

I  know  you  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  the  fire  is 
cooling !  But  for  twelve  days  it  got  hotter  and  hotter, 
such  terrible  pain  day  and  night,  but  thank  God  quite 

suddenly  and  unaccountably  (except  that turns  out 

to  have  been  engaged  in  special  prayer  for  me  at  the 
very  moment !)  pain  subsided,  every  bad  symptom 
decreased,  and  Mr.  G.  was  perfectly  astonished,  as  he 
had  reason  to  expect  to  find  me  worse  instead  of  better. 

Your  letters  always  help  me,  sometimes  directly,  some- 
times by  putting  me  on  the  track  which  leads  to  what  I 
wanted.  In  your  first  note  of  mere  inquiry  you  ojily 
said,  'The  Lord  is  right !'  'You  can  trust  Him,  I  know.' 


LETTERS,  1870-1875. 


Those  ten  monosyllables  were  a  volume  of  delight  to  me 
for  days.  '  Right '  opened  out  a  grand  view  of  the  wise, 
omniscient,  infallible,  almighty  love  and  faithfulness 
which  make  all  that  He  does  absolutely  right — and  not 
abstractedly  right  only,  but  right  for  me.  *  Can  '  gave  a 
view  of  the  difference  between  the  time  when  I  could 
not,  and  of  His  sovereign  grace  having  enabled  me  to 
trust,  and  that  led  on  to  all  the  grand  chain  of  'chosen,' 
'called,'  etc.,  and  so  on  with  'trust'  and  'Him.' 

Out  of  your  letter  I  got  nothing  direct,  but  a  great  thing 
indirectly.  It  set  me  into  a  new  track  ;  had  Jesus  been 
speaking  and  I  mistaking  His  voice  }  Tell  me,  when  a 
text  comes  into  my  mind  and  I  have  said,  '  I  thovght  of 
it,'  may  I  believe  that  it  was  not  that  /  thought  of  it, 
but  that  Jesus  spoke  it  to  me?  I  have  almost  grasped 
this,  not  firmly;  but  it  is  possibly  going  to  be  a  great 
step  in  my  spiritual  life,  it  would  make  such  a  difference! 
Hitherto  it  has  only  been  when  that  peculiarly  strong 
and  irresistible  flashing  of  a  strikingly  apposite  text  came 
to  me,  such  as  only  comes  at  rare  intervals,  that  I  have 
dared  to  hope  it  was  His  voice.  But  when  texts  rise  in 
one's  mind  without  any  peculiar  need  or  tension  of  soul, 
when  they  just  'come  into  one's  head,'  reminding  and 
warning,  or  comforting  in  a  quiet,  gentle,  everyday  way, — 
now,  is  that  equally  the  Master  Himself  speaking  to  me  ? 
Don't  speak  'smooth  things'  about  it,  don't  say  yes  if 
you  have  any  misgiving.  But  oh  !  suppose  I  have  been 
mistaking  His  voice  all  this  time,  how  I  must  have 
grieved  Him  !  I  really  do  not  think  any  child  of  God 
can  have  more  to  be  forgiven  than  I  have  had ;  '  much 
forgiven '  always  comes  home  to  me. 

No  !  I  7>.'as  not  lamenting  about  lying  fallow  I     That  is 


222  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

His  doing,  and  I  am  satisfied,  perfectly  satisfied  to  be 
fallow  as  long  as  ever  He  likes.  It  is  matter  even  of 
reason  as  well  as  faith ;  and  if  it  were  '  fallow '  all  the  rest 
of  my  earthly  days,  I  should  only  expect  the  fairer  and 
fuller  harvest  in  heaven.  For  I  ^ shall  serve  Him'  there, 
even  if  ever,  or  very  little  more,  here. 


{To J.  T.  W.) 

1875. 
I  wonder  if  this  year  is  a  sort  of  halfway  house  in  my 
pilgrimage,  and  what  the  other  half  will  be?  In  any 
looking  forward  (as  to  work),  I  ca?i  do  nothing  but  trust 
and  wait,  for  my  present  feeling  is  one  of  pure  weakness, 
no  sense  of  power  for  any  work,  whether  direct  soul- 
winning  or  any  sort  of  writing.  Even  the  plans  and 
outlines  of  books,  poems,  etc.,  which  I  had  when  very  ill, 
are  all  gone  now.  I  am  simply  emptied — if  ever  there  was 
an  empty  vessel  it  is  I ;  and  though  if  merely  empty,  one 
would  look  forward  to  His  filling,  the  vessel  also  feels 
very  small,  and  also  spoutless !  I  never  felt  quite  this 
before ;  I  always  hitherto  have  seen  my  work  before  me, 
and  felt  more  or  less  abiUty  for  it — isn't  it  curious? 
Your  'Ask  what  I  shall  give  thee'  was  brought  back  by 
the  second  lesson  this  afternoon  —  what  a  wonderful 
carte  blanche!  I  could  not  sing  the  hymn  after  sermon, 
the  favourite  *  O  Lord,  how  happy  we  should  be,  If  we 
could  cast  our  care  on  Thee  ! '  and  marvelled  that  years 
ago  I  thought  it  charming !  Fancy  singing  a  lament 
over  not  being  able  to  help  continual  lying !  But  does 
it  not  come  to  the  same  thing  when  He  has  absolutely 
and  ^r2,Q.\o\\s\y  commanded  us  to  'cast  thy  burden,'  etc., 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  223 


on  Him,  if  we  are  complacently  to  sing  about  how  very 
nice  it  would  be  if  we  only  could  obey  Him  in  this,  and 
pathetically  and  practically  describe  our  sad  life  of  dis- 
obedience !  Well,  thanks  be  to  Him,  it  would  have 
been  a  simple  falsehood  for  me  to  have  sung  most  of  the 
hymn,  for  I  have  cast  my  care  on  Him,  and  have  not  the 
faintest  expectation  of  ever  carrying  a  care  again  on  my 
shoulders.  Why  should  I?  But  it  made  me  ever  so 
happy,  because  I  felt  the  real  difference  between  the  days 
when  I  could  and  did  sing  the  hymn,  and  now.  Don't 
you  think  we  ought  to  thank  God  and  take  courage  when 
one  thus  sees  an  old  landmark  left  far  behind  ?  It  is  so 
good  of  Him  to  lead  one  on^  that  it  seems  ungrateful  to 
ignore  it.  How  I  should  like  to  have  a  regular  outpour 
to  you  of  His  manifold  goodness  to  me !  My  heart 
seems  too  full  of  it  to  hold,  sometimes !  Just  now  I 
recollected  Ps.  cxlv.  7 ;  never  saw  it  in  the  same  light 
before.  Just  what  I  have  neither  opportunity  nor  power 
to  do  now,  but  which  will  be  fulfilled  with  such  exquisite 
joy  in  heaven  (when  we  have  the  long  talk !),  '  They  shall 
abundantly  utter  the  memory  of  Thy  great  goodness.' 
It  is  very  curious,  but  I  have  thought  more,  and  with 
more  vivid  delight  about  heaven,  since  I  have  seen  no 
probability  of  going  there  for  a  long  time  yet,  than  I  ever 
did  before.  But  the  very  anticipation  makes  me  much 
more  happy  to  wait  patiently  and  live  and  work  (or 
suffer). 


WiNTERDYNE,  March  6,  1875. 

My  own  dear  M.,  —  ...  I  am  under  no  restric- 
tions now  .  .  .  any  thing  I  feel  able  to  do  to  divert  me 


224  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

from  the  pain  is  allowed.  .  .  .  Just  a  fortnight  ago, 
inflammation  came  on,  and  has  caused  me  the  most 
acute  suffering  I  ever  had  in  my  life  .  .  .  especially  at 
night.  Sometimes  it  seems  just  agony,  but  I  have 
intervals  of  rest,  and  comparative,  though  not  absolute, 
ease.  .  .  .  The  bad  nights  naturally  result  in  severe 
headache  (also  mercifully  with  intervals).  I  never  get 
any  sleep  without  as  much  laudanum  as  can  be  brought 
to  bear  on  the  parts,  and  also  on  my  head ;  and  more 
than  once  no  sleep  even  with  that.  So  this  fortnight 
(considering  my  nerves,  which  the  doctors  say  make 
me  exceptionally  sensitive  to  pain)  has  been  more  real 
'  chastening '  than  any  part  of  my  long  illnesses.  It  is 
more  than  four  months  since  I  have  been  at  family 
prayers.     And  now  for  the  other  side  ! 

Of  course  He  is  faithful !  and  so  I  do  not  merely 
imagine  /  ought  to  feel,  but  I  do  most  distinctly  feel, 
that  all  this  weakness  and  suffering  has  been,  and  is,  the 
crowning  mercy  of  all  the  mercies  which  have  been 
heaped  upon  me  since  the  great  blessing  came  to  me 
December  2,  1873.  I  have  been  all  through,  and  still 
am,  not  only  kept  in  perfect  peace,  but  I  am  so  very 
happy  that  it  has  really  seemed  worth  being  prayed  back 
from  the  very  gates  of  heaven  (which  really  seems  to  be 
the  case  !),  if  I  may  but  tell  of  His  faithfulness — witness 
to  it  in  some  way.  '  Not  one  good  thing  hath  failed  ! ' 
Nothing  that  I  have  trusted  Him  for  has  come  short,  and 
it  seems  to  '  come  natural '  now  to  trust  Him  utterly  and 
for  everything.  The  wonderful  thing  to  me  is  that  He 
actually  does  seem  to  have  answered  my  prayer,  '  Take 
my  will,  it  shall  be  Thine,'  etc.,  for  I  am  not  conscious 
of  even  the  rising  of  a  ivish  for  even  this  terrible  pain  to 


LETTERS,  1 870-1 875.  225 

be  taken  away  one  day  sooner  than  His  far-sighted  love 
decides ;  nor  of  the  least  regret,  when  I  was  told  (before 
this  inflammation  began)  that  I  must  not  attempt  or 
expect  to  be  able  to  do  any  sort  of  work  for  at  least  six 
months  more,  even  if  I  had  no  further  drawbacks. 

Now  I  am  so  perfectly  certain  that  this  does  not '  come 
natural'  to  me  (obvious  to  any  one  who  knows  my 
decidedly  'active  disposition,'  and  still  more  to  those 
who  know  my  excessive  natural  impatience — fidget!), 
that  it  is  clearly  altogether  His  own  doing,  and  I  do  not 
know  how  to  praise  Him  enough  for  it.  For  there  is 
'  no  effort '  whatever  about  it.  I  have  never  '  sought  to 
be  resigned  to  His  will;'  I  have  just  simply  rested  and 
rejoiced  in  it  all  along,  could  not  do  otherwise,  seeing 
rather  than  believing  the  marvellous  love  and  faithfulness 
and  wisdom  of  which  it  is  the  outcome.  I  shall  enjoy 
trying  to  tell  people  (if  He  lets  me  serve  Him  on  earth 
again)  what  a  splendid  thing  it  is  to  be  utterly  His  own, 
giving  Him  one's  whole  trust,  and  then  proving  His 
grand  faithfulness.  1  am  quite  sure  if  He  was  ready  to 
do  for  me  all  that  He  has  done.  He  must  be  even  more 
ready  to  give  it  to  others,  for  I  should  think  very  few 
Christians  ever  ^^Vtrusted  and  doubted  as  I  have  done, 
especially  with  the  opportunities  I  had,  and  for  so  many 
years  ! 

'  Forgiven  much '  is  peculiarly  my  position ;  I  cannot 
imagine  any  one  being  His  child  at  all  and  grieving  Him 
more  and  longer.  I  should  like  you  to  tell  your  sisters 
how  good  He  has  been  to  me,  that  they  may  see  that 
'  the  blessing '  stands  fire.  When  I  was  taken  ill  I  left 
all  my  small  work  in  the  Master's  hands,  to  do  as  He 
would— and  so  He  has  taken  it  all  up;  and  taking  the 


226  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

outward  success  as  index,  which,  perhaps,  I  am  not 
wrong  in  doing,  it  has  never  prospered  so  much  as  in 
these  four  and  a  half  months,  when  /  could  not  touch 
it.  .  .  .  Nothing  ever  seemed  to  touch  me  more  than 
the  extraordinary  way  in  which  prayer  for  me  in 
November  seemed  stirred  up.  I  felt  quite  overwhelmed 
at  all  I  heard  afterwards,  though  I  had  a  strong  impres- 
sion at  the  time  that  many  were  praying  for  me ;  I  do 
not  mean  personal  friends,  but  Christians  in  literally  all 
parts  of  the  kingdom,  and  not  merely  private  prayer,  but 
the  number  of  prayer  meetings  at  which  I  was  repeatedly 
prayed  for  by  people  I  never  heard  of,  is  most  singular. 
Even  special  prayer  meetings  were  held  on  my  account, 
and  Sankey  prayed  most  fervently  for  me  at  the  great 
Dublin  meetings.  It  must  be  all  the  echo  of  Christ's 
intercession. 

Friday^  March  12. — I  must  finish  in  the  first  interval 
of  comparative  ease  I  have  had  for  three  days.  The 
pain  has  beeny«^  worse  since  I  began,  I  should  not  have 
thought  a  mere  limb  could  have  caused  me  so  much.  .  .  . 
So,  darling  M.,  pray  for  me,  and  ask  that  grace  may  not 
only  not  fail  {that  I  do  not  fear),  but  abound,  .  .  . 


(To  Margaret  IV.) 

1S75. 
I  have  just  been  writing  my  request  for  praise 
(Y.  W.  C.  A.).  What  can  I  do  ?  I  can't  curtail  it,  and  I 
might  go  on  and  add  many,  many  details  to  the  list.  Oh 
I  wish  I  could  have  come  over  to  your  praise  meeting, 
and  just  tried  to  tell  you  all  how  gracious  and  faithful 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  227 

and  near  God  has  been  all  this  summer ;  if  I  kept  a  diary 
it  would  be  just  a  record  of  answers  to  prayer,  and  such 
great  answers  too.  If  you  don't  mind,  I  wish  you  would 
tell  the  members  at  your  next  meeting,  because  they 
would  be  glad  to  hear  how  wonderfully  God  is  answering 
one  of  them,  and  He  is  the  same  Lord  over  all — rich 
unto  all  that  call  upon  Him.  And  as  some  have  prayed 
specially  for  me  and  my  work,  they  should  feel  that  they 
have  been  answered. 


{To  Mrs.  Brunot^  America) 

1875. 
You  must  have  wondered  at  getting  no  answer  all  this 
time  to  your  most  kind  and  interesting  letter.  But  the 
Master's  wise,  dear  hand  has  been  upon  me,  and  I  am 
only  now  sending  pencil  replies  to  some  of  the  many 
loving  messages  which  came  during  my  illness.  I  was 
taken  ill  in  October  with  typhoid  fever,  but  what  with 
sundry  relapses  and  results,  it  was  a  very  suffering  illness; 
it  will  be  months  yet  ere  I  am  likely  to  be  able  for  any- 
thing beyond  the  little  quiet  opportunities  of  an  invalid. 
But  I  do  wish  I  could  tell  you  how  good  God  has  been 
to  me  !  It  has  been  worth  far  more  than  all  the  suffering 
to  prove  His  faithfulness,  and  to  find  how  tenderly 
gracious  He  can  be  just  when  one  most  needs  it. 
'  Great  is  Thy  faithfulness  '  shines  out  upon  the  past, 
and  '  I  will  fear  no  evil,'  on  the  future.  And  as  for 
being  held  back  from  work,  that  is  altogether  His  affair, 
not  mine ;  and  there  is  a  fellowship  of  waitings  I  think, 
in  it     For  He  is  waiting  as  well  as  I ;  and  when  it  says, 


228  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 


'And  therefore  will  the  Lord  wait  that  He  may  be 
gracious,'  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  same  verse  adds, 
*  Blessed  are  all  they  that  wait  for  Him.' 

You  say  you  would  like  to  know  what  particular  work 
I  have.  Had  I  chosen  for  myself,  I  should  have  liked 
some  definite  service  on  which  I  could  have  concentrated 
energies  and  time,  but  the  Master  chose  otherwise  ;  and 
over  and  above  the  happy  certainty  that  His  choice  is 
best,  I  think  I  can  now  see  that  His  seeming  hinderings 
have  been  furtherings,  and  that  He  has  really  permitted 
me  to  do  more  for  Him  in  His  way  than  I  could  have 
done  in  my  own,  and  has  given  me  a  wider  influence. 

Delicate  health  prevents  my  undertaking  any  regular 
or  permanent  work.  Other  circumstances  oblige  me  to 
be  often  on  the  move.  So  I  am  necessarily  always  on 
the  watch  for  what  He  would  have  me  do  next,  just  any 
work  He  sends,  according  to  locality  or  strength — some- 
times helping  others — sometimes  starting  a  Y.  \V.  C.  A. 
branch — sometimes  getting  temporary  Bible  classes  or 
meetings — sometimes  only  writing,  but  always  having  ten 
times  more  openings  than  I  have  physical  strength  for. 
Perhaps  my  specialities  are  direct  personal  work  with  indi- 
viduals, chiefly  young  ladies,  and  '  singing  for  Jesus  ; '  in 
these  God  has  blessed  me  so  abundantly  that  often  I  feel 
as  if  I  could  not  praise  Him  enough,  even  in  heaven.  And 
now  that  I  am  quite  laid  aside  from  any  work  (for  I  am 
strictly  forbidden  to  write  anything  involving  thought),  it 
is  just  marvellous  how  He  seems  to  have  carried  on  my 
work  for  me,  making  my  books  and  leaflets  circulate 
more  than  ever  before,  and  sending  such  singular  blessing 
sometimes  upon  merely  a  pencilled  note,  that  I  keep 
wondering  at  His  exceeding  grace  and  love.     He  is  so 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  229 

good  to  me,  that  it  seems  worth  while  being  sent  back 
from  the  very  Golden  Gates,  which  I  thought  a  few 
months  ago  were  just  reached,  if  I  may  but  '  tell  it  out.' 
I  was  extremely  interested  to  hear  of  all  your  great 
work  (so  different  to  my  little  desultory  bits  !),  and  it 
seemed  a  special  privilege  and  pleasure  to  have  a  sweet 
far-off  greeting  from  one  to  whom  the  Lord  has  entrusted 
so  much  of  His  work.  And  it  is  a  widening  of  one's 
love  and  interest  and  hopes  to  hear,  I  will  not  say  of  what 
you  are  doing,  but  of  what  He  is  doing  by  you.  I  had 
hoped  to  have  been  at  the  Convention,  yet  I  can  hardly 
say  I  am  disappointed^  for  there  seems  no  room  for  that 
word  in  the  happy  life  of  entire  trust  in  Jesus,  and  satis- 
faction with  His  perfect  and  glorious  will.  An  invalid 
friend  of  mine  said  to  me,  '  I  think  I  begin  to  see  how 
splendid  God's  will  is.'  Was  it  not  beautiful?  How 
glad  we  shall  be  to  see  the  full  splendour  of  His  will 
unveiled  and  vindicated  before  all  the  universe  !  What 
manifold  joy  we  have  to  look  forward  to  in  this  one 
direction  alone  ! 


(To  /he  late  Mary  SheJdeton.f 

April  26,  1875. 
Your  treasured  little  note  was  one  of  the  pleasantest 
bits  of  outer  sunshine  which  reached  me  all  last  winter ; 
it  was  so  kind  of  you  to  think  of  me,  and  your  tiny  note 
was  so  sweet  and  full.  I  did  not  get  it  till  March  ! 
when  recovering  from  a  long  and  suffering  illness.  I 
am  not  to  think  of  any  sort  of  work  for  months  yet. 
But  this  long  illness  has  clearly  been  the  crowning 
^  C/iosm,  C/iasleiied,  Crozuned :  Memoir,  M.  Shekleton,     Nisbet. 


230  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

mercy  of  a  series  of  varied  and  great  mercies  with  which 
the  Lord  seemed  ahnost  to  overwhehii  me,  ever  since 
He  led  me  into  that  perfect  fuhiess  of  rest  into  which 
so  many  are  entering.  Every  trial  is  but  a  new  test 
of  His  faithfulness — a  new  '  trial  of  His  love ' — and 
worth  it ! 

Mine  is  probably  only  a  temporary  *  calling  apart '  and 
waiting,  but  yours — how  different  !  Yet  even  *  among 
the  shadows'  of  your  own  path,  you  have  a  splendid 
work  for  your  Lord,  in  lighting  up  so  many  similar  ones 
in  a  way  only  a  fellow-sufferer  could  do.  How  kind  of 
Him  to  give  you  the  happy  thought  of  the  Invalid 
Prayer  Union,  and  so  much  blessing  in  carrying  it  out ! 
Is  it  not — I  can't  help  saying  delicious — to  know  that 
He  chooses  every  bit  of  our  work,  and  orders  every 
moment  of  our  waiting  ?     What  a  ^Master  we  have  ! 

I  must  tell  you  that  it  is  quite  remarkable  how, 
during  these  months  that  I  have  been  unable  to  have 
any  communication  with  publishers  or  printers,  God 
seems  to  have  furthered  and  blessed  all  my  writings  more 
than  previously  ;  my  Little  Pillows  and  Morning  Bells, 
specially,  of  which  8000  were  sold  in  less  than  two 
months.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  more  completely  one 
puts  one's  work  into  God's  hands,  the  more  He  takes  it 
up  and  furthers  it. 

May  God  bless  the  special  work  to  which  He  has 
so  clearly  called  you,  very  richly  this  year,  and  be  very 
present  all  the  days  with  you,  His  dear,  suffering  worker. 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  231 

{^To  E,  Titter  ton). 

Oakhampton,  June  3,  1875. 
You  will  fully  understand  why  I  have  not  sent  you 
the  receipt  for  your  kind,  good  work  for  the  poor  Green 
Islanders  all  this  time,  though  dated  March  24.  At  that 
date  I  was  carried  from  bed  to  sofa  and  no  more ;  and 
though  I  am  now  convalescent,  yet  having  had  several 
drawbacks,  I  have  never  yet  been  strong  enough  for  the 
journey  home  !  But,  oh,  Emily,  I  wish  I  could  tell  it  out 
what  His  gentle  faithfulness  is  when  one  most  needs  Him. 
Both  my  illnesses  have  been  so  full  of  blessings,  it 
seemed  like  everything  coming  true.  *  Great  is  Thy 
faithfulness '  shines  out  on  all  the  past,  and  '  I  will  fear 
no  evil '  on  the  future.  I  am  not  supposed  to  be  allowed 
to  write  letters,  but  by  pencil  notes  I  am  gradually 
acknowledging  (not  liquidating)  the  many  debts  I  owe 
of  kind  and  loving  inquiries  and  remembrances. 


{To  the  late  Miss  Esther  Beamish.) 

July  26,  1875. 

.  .  .  We  were  close  upon  Midsummer,  and  I  had 
gained  no  ground  since  Easter ;  very  little  improvement 
being  followed  by  a  relapse,  though  every  surrounding 
was  most  favourable  for  recovery ;  and  there  seemed  no 
way  of  preventing  these  relapses,  which  gave  me  no  time 
to  gain  strength. 

For  the  first  time  since  my  illness  began  in  October,  I 
had  a  time  of  spiritual  depression,  following  in  strange 
disappointment  upon  more  than  commonly  fervent  desire 


232  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

and  prayer,  that  while  others  were  receiving  such  blessing 
at  Brighton,  my  Father  would  also  bless  '  even  me,'  and 
really  confident  expectation  that  He  would  make  it  a 
means  of  blessing  to  one  of  my  very  nearest  and  dearest ; 
both  which  desires  seemed  unfulfilled,  while  an  unex- 
pected sorrow  darkened  in  another  quarter.  He  enabled 
me  to  cast  the  burdens  upon  Him  ;  and  then,  during 
some  days  of  literally  *  lying  still '  before  Him,  unable  to 
sit  up  or  even  to  read  as  usual  in  His  own  Word,  He  led 
me  back  into  perhaps  a  sweeter,  deeper  rest  in  Him  than 
almost  ever  before.  On  the  17th  of  June,  the  prospect 
of  never  being  strong  again  came  definitely  before  me. 
I  looked  at  it  very  deliberately  and  fully — what  it  would 
be  never  to  speak  or  sing  or  even  write  for  Jesus,  but 
only  wait  in  quiet  isolation  and  weakness,  a  burden  to 
dear  ones  whose  own  burden  I  would  like  to  bear,  for 
years,  perhaps  for  life.  That  this  was  not  a  mere  impro- 
bable fancy  is  proved  by  my  sister  Miriam  having  written 
the  very  words  '  she  will  be  a  chronic  invalid,'  on  or 
about  the  same  day.  But  as  I  looked,  I  wondered  at 
His  great  goodness  to  me  in  thus  proving  to  me  that  He 
had  answered  my  prayer. 

'  Take  my  will  :  it  shall  be  Thine ; 
It  shall  be  no  longer  mine.' 

For  I  could  not,  did  not  feel  one  quiver  of  shrinking 
from  the  prospect, — not  a  fear,  not  a  regret,  not  a  choice 
in  the  matter.  It  was  all  'of  course ' — of  course  He 
w^ould  be  '  with  me  alway ; '  of  course  His  grace  would 
be  sufficient ;  of  course  it  would  be  all  best  and  happiest, 
His  will  must  be  always  sweetest  and  dearest.  And  as 
for  service,  that  was  altogether  my  Master's  affair,  not 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  233 

mine  at  all — He  could  do,  and  should  do  what  He  would 
'  with  His  own.'  I  had  the  sweetest  possible  communion 
with  Him  about  it,  and  felt,  naturally  enough,  altogether 
light-hearted ;  for  all  that  would  have  been  too  heavy  for 
me  was  put  and  left  in  His  dear  hands.  I  seemed  per- 
fectly dead  to  any  possible  sense  of  anxiety  or  care  about 
the  future ;  and  the  present,  even  with  fever  and  pain 
and  languor,  was  what  I  would  not  have  exchanged  with 
any  one's.  Next  day,  June  18,  was  indeed  much  to  be 
remembered.  In  the  morning  I  was  hardly  so  well,  very 
weak,  and  with  that  indescribable  sense  of  being  '  ill  all 
over '  which  certainly  does  not  naturally  either  raise  one's 
spirits  or  herald  a  cure.  But  it  was  '  perfect  peace ' 
literally  passing  understanding.  My  sister  Ellen  drove 
over  to  see  me.  In  reply  to  her  wish  that  I  should  come 
as  soon  as  possible  for  change  of  air  to  Winterdyne,  I 
told  her  it  was  useless  thinking  about  it, — that  no  one 
could  say  when  I  should  be  able  for  the  drive  (not  four 
miles),  and  that  she  must  dismiss  the  idea  altogether  for 
the  present.  After  she  was  gone  I  was  again  led  to  look 
at  the  prospect  of  chronic  invalidism,  and  again,  even 
more  definitely  and  joyfully,  '  left  it  all  with  Jesus/ 
After  dinner  I  was  left  alone  for  some  time,  thinking  I 
might  get  a  little  sleep,  and  little  thinking  what  a  much 
better  thing  the  Lord  was  going  to  give  me  !  Instead  of 
sending  sleep  (I  say  it  reverently),  it  seemed  as  if  Jesus 
Himself  came  and  drew  me  out,  leading  me  on  to  tell 
Him  what  I  hardly  told  myself.  All  through  my  illness 
I  had  never  once  felt  able  to  pray  for  recovery,  or  even 
for  mitigation  of  pain.  More  than  once  I  thought  I 
ought,  for  the  sake  of  others,  to  try  to  ask  it ;  but 
invariably  it  seemed  as  if  the  Holy  Spirit  checked  my 


234  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

prayer  and  changed  it  into,' '  No  !  Lord  Jesus  !  /  would 
rather  leave  it  entirely  with  Thee,  and  not  even  ask — do 
just  what  Thou  wilt.'  Now,  however,  He  seemed  to  say 
to  me  that  the  time  was  come  to  ask  for  recovery ;  but  I 
told  Him  that  I  did  not  want  to  ask  unless  He  gave  me 
the  prayer,  and  that  if  He  did,  I  should  expect  His 
gracious  and  direct  answer.  Then  He  at  once  took  away 
all  the  barrier,  and  put  the  prayer  into  my  very  lips.  I 
prayed  it,  not  as  my  prayer  at  all,  but  as  His  !  Then  I 
asked  Him,  '  What  about  the  answer  ? ' — watching  and 
wondering  what  He  would  graciously  say  next  (*  I  will 
watch  to  see  what  He  will  say  unto  me,'  Hab.  ii.  i),  and 
told  Him  I  felt  He  had  given  me  faith  to  be  healed  when 
He  would.  Then  came,  'I  am  the  Lord  that  healeth 
thee!'  with  startling  emphasis  on  'htsXet/i.'  I  literally 
started,  and  held  my  breath  !  Surely  He  Himself  had 
said  it !  Then  a  sudden  temptation,  I  believe  from 
Satan  himself,  to  think  it  was  only  a  common  act  of 
recollection  of  the  familiar  words.  But  I  did  not  stop  to 
attend  to  this ;  but  asked  Him  if  He  would  condescend- 
ingly confirm  it  to  me,  if  He  had  indeed  '  spoken  to  my 
heart.'  Instantly  He  did  so;  for  again  and  again  the 
assurance  rang  out  in  my  heart,  in  such  a  way  that  I 
could  not,  cannot  possibly  doubt,  that  it  was  '  Jesus  Him- 
self.' '  I  am  the  Lord  that  healeth  thee.'  I  thought  if 
ever  He  gave  a  marvellous  opportunity  for  exercise  of 
faith,  here  it  was.  So  I  praised  Him,  and  told  Him  I 
would  and  did  take  Him  at  His  word.  And  I  did,  and 
of  course  I  was  healed ;  for  I  saw  that  heak//?  was  not 
merely  '•  will  heal ; '  so  I  began  to  expect  to  find  myself 
actually  healed.  This  communion  had  been  so  absorbing 
and  intense,  that  I  had  forgotten  pain  and  discomfort  j 


I 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  235 

but  now  a  pause  seemed  sent,  that  I  might  calmly  realize 
the  healing.  It  was  real  and  complete !  I  examined 
my  own  sensations ;  it  was  a  total  change — no  pain,  no 
feverishness,  no  sense  of  being  ill  anywhere,  much  less 
*  all  over ' !  The  question  of  restoration  of  strength  had 
not  been  touched  upon ;  it  seemed  quite  apart  from  that 
of  ciire^  and  neither  prayer  nor  faith  had  been  given  me 
for  that.  Thus  I  proved  the  more  literally  how  exactly  it 
was  '  according  to  my  faith  \ '  for  though  well^  I  was  very 
tueak.  After  a  little  while  of  praise,  and  then  a  sort  of 
hushed  rest,  I  thought,  '  As  I  am  healed,  I  may  just  as 
well  act  upon  it ! '  I  had  not  intended  to  rise  at  all, 
unless  perhaps  just  to  have  my  bed  made;  but  I  got  up 
and  dressed  ! 

When  next  my  sister  M.  came  into  the  room,  she  was 
surprised  to  find  me  dressed.  I  assured  her  I  was  ever 
so  much  better,  and  should  not  be  the  worse  for  getting 
up,  but  did  not  tell  her  what  reason  I  had  for  saying  so. 
I  found  that,  half  unconsciously,  I  had  yielded  to  a 
temptation  to  wait  and  see^  and  not  tell  what  the  Lord 
had  done  for  me  till  time  had  proved  it  by  no  relapse 
occurring.  As  soon  as  I  detected  this  unbelief,  I  felt 
thoroughly  ashamed  of  it,  and  forthwith  'burnt  my  ships' 
by  telling  the  whole,  trusting  to  the  Lord  to  '  make  it 
good.'  And  of  course  He  did.  Next  day  I  was  down 
stairs,  and  three  days  after  went  to  Winterdyne  ! 

From  that  day  to  this,  July  26,  I  have  never  had 
another  hour's  illness,  but  have  gone  on  slowly  gaining 
strength,  with  no  greater  drawbacks  than  a  common  cold 
and  a  little  neuralgia. 

The  Lord's  hand  is  still  upon  me  in  gentle  restraining; 
for  though  much  stronger,  I  am   still  quite  unequal  to 


236  LETTERS,  1 870- 1 87 5. 

ordinary  physical  or  mental  exertion,  and  it  will  evidently 
be  a  long  time  yet  before  I  am  able  for  'work.' 

I  shall  not  be  surprised  to  find  that  others  were  pray- 
ing very  specially  for  me  at  that  time.  One  distant 
friend,  I  know,  was  led  to  very  special  and  fervent  prayer 
for  me  at  the  very  time.  It  seems  to  me  that  '  the  prayer 
of  faith'  which  '  shall  save  the  sick'  must  be  '  not  of  the 
will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God,'  and 
that  in  this  direction  lies  the  key  to  whatever  experimental 
difficulties  appear  to  surround  the  promise.  I  think  the 
prayer,  the  faith,  and  the  healing  are  all  equally  from 
God — distinctly  His  gift,  and  His  only. 


{To  an  American  Friend) 

Whitby,  September  17,  1S75. 
I  should  have  answered  sooner,  but  have  not  been 
quite  so  well  the  last  week  or  two ;  and  if  I  had,  I  should 
have  told  you  that  the  wise  Master  had  not  yet  given  me 
back  the  power  of  even  the  merest  rhyme  !  But  yesterday 
I  read  an  article  by  a  dear  Christian  friend  trying  to 
prove  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  '  sanctifying  careful- 
ness,' and  trying  to  make  out  somehow  that  we  who 
testify  that  by  His  grace,  we  have  cast  all  our  care  on 
Him,  are  under  a  sort  of  delusion  !  And  then  it  made 
me  so  very  glad  to  feel  that  it  was  no  delusion,  but  that 
He  does  take  every  bit  of  my  care,  that  it  seemed  as  if 
my  tongue,  or  rather  pen,  were  loosed  again,  and  I  could 
not  help  a  little  gush  of  praise  and  testimony  for  the  first 
time  since  my  long  illness.  And  though  it  is  not  at  all 
the  sort  of  thing  for  you  to  read  as  you  wished  at  your 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  237 

Conference,  I  feel  impelled  to  send  this  first  little  song 
of  my  restored  life  over  to  you  ('Without  Carefulness'),  so 
that  you  may  give  it  to  any  one  to  whom  it  might 
possibly  be  a  little  message  of  cheer  and  trust.  It  would 
be  too  great  a  treat  to  me  to  come  over ;  and  I  do  not 
think  I  shall  ever  be  quite  strong  for  pleasures  of  that 
kind  ;  but  I  shall  be  with  you  in  spirit,  praying  your 
Conference  may  be  grandly  blessed.  Perhaps  some 
echoes  of  the  Master's  voice  to  you  and  through  you 
will  reach  us  who  cannot  come  over  to  listen  with  you. 

Master  !  how  shall  I  bless  Thy  name 

For  Thy  tender  love  to  me, 
For  the  sweet  enablings  of  Thy  grace, 

So  sovereign,  yet  so  free, 
That  have  taught  me  to  obey  Thy  word 

And  cast  my  care  on  Thee  ? 

Curiously  enough  this  hymn  was  written  just  exactly 
in  time  to  be  used  at  two  great  Conferences,  Nottingham, 
and  the  great  American  Women's  Christian  Association  at 
New  York !  I  was  invited  to  this,  and  if  I  could  not 
come,  to  write  a  poem  to  be  read  at  it  and  printed.  I 
was  going  to  answer  '  Can't  write  a  line,*  when  this  came 
to  me,  and  will  reach  the  Committee  just  in  time,  though 
I  did  not  write  with  the  intention  of  sending  it.  Then 
Mr.  Shaw  asked  for  a  copy  the  same  day  to  send  to  a 
friend.  A  reply  came  asking  permission  by  telegraph  to 
use  it  at  Nottingham  Conference.  Had  the  obnoxious 
Magazine  article  reached  me  just  a  day  later,  it  would 
have  been  too  late  for  both  ! 


238  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

{To  J.  E.J.) 

Royal  Crescent,  Whitby,  October  1875. 

...  It  always  seemed  to  me  harder  to  trust  the  Lord 
about  His  own  affairs  than  about  one's  own  !  and  I 
have  chafed  terribly  at  the  strange  falsehoods  which  have 
been  permitted  to  spread  and  hinder  the  seekers  after  a 
better  and  happier  life  in  Jesus,  but  quite  lately  He  has 
taught  me  to  cast  the  burden  of  His  cause  upon  Him, 
and  I  am  so  glad  He  has.  It  had  long  seemed  easy  to 
cast  all  my  own  care  upon  Him,  and  to  be  utterly  restful. 
These  last  two  years  have  been  a  totally  different  life 
to  me. 

Doubt  not  that  He  is  leading  you  by  the  right  way, 
dear  friend.  Only  give  yourself  up  to  the  dear  Lord, 
and  let  Him  do  just  what  He  will  with  you,  and  take  all 
He  holds  out  to  you.  He  is  so  gloriously  gracious  and 
'able.' 

.  .  .  But  sing  my  Consecration  Hymn — don't  sigh  it 
any  more  ! 


*  He  hath  done  all  things  well.'  How  sure  we  are  of 
that !  .  .  .  '  Thou  hast  known  my  reproach,'  and  so 
your  dear  one  is  only  having  fellowship  with  Him. 
Christ  said,  'Reproach  hath  broken  my  heart'  Think 
how  the  Lord  heard  every  word  that  was  unkindly  said 

to !     Don't  you  think  he  had  his  Master's  tenderest 

sympathy  ?     But  I  do  feel  very  much  for  you  both  in 
this  added  pain. — In  most  loving  sympathy. 


LETTERS,  1 870-1 875.  239 

{To  J,  T.  W.). 

Whitby,  October  11,  1875. 

I  am  not  nearly  so  strong  as  before  ray  illness.  I 
think  it  will  have  to  be  so  literally  '  half-days '  henceforth. 
But  of  course  it  does  not  trouble  me.  Not  only  that  I 
know  He  can  make  a  half-hour's  work  worth  a  whole 
day's,  but  more  and  more  I  am  resting  in  His  will.  It  is 
so  good  of  Him.  I  ought  to  appear  so  obviously  different 
to  others  after  all  this  most  precious  time  of  chastening 
and  waiting.  Surely  He  'vsdll  not  have  let  it  been  all  lost 
upon  me.  I  want  to  bring  forth  fruit  to  His  distinct 
praise  and  glory;  it  is  'afterward'  now,  and  He  must 
be  looking  for  peaceable  fruit,  and  others  will  look  too.  I 
can  only  put  this  earnest  desire  into  His  dear  hands, 
and  ask  Him  to  fulfil  it  in  whatever  way  He  sees  best. 
I  think  the  thing  I  most  want  is  to  have  self  completely 
crushed  under  the  wheels  of  His  chariot;  it  rises  up 
again  and  again  in  different  ways. 

Of  late  I  have  found  it  such  an  odious  temptation 
cropping  up,  when  the  affectionate  deference  of  friends 
treats  me  as  an  advanced  Christian,  the  effect  of  which 
is  to  make  me  see  how  very  near  the  bottom  of  the 
ladder  I  am.  It  used  to  take  the  form  of  elation  at 
public  notice,  reviews,  etc.,  but  that  has  worn  out  already. 
The  newer  form  is  much  more  horrid.  I  don't  think  I 
have  much  temptation,  less  than  many,  which  is  most 
merciful ;  but  it  is  great  pain  to  be  tempted  to  such  an 
entirely  hateful  and  also  contemptible  disloyalty  as  self- 
gratulation.     Oh  !  for  full  deliverance. 


240  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

{To J,  T.    JK) 

October  1875. 
Somehow  I  think  God  is  giving  me  more  'power  than 
before.'  I  leave  more  implicitly  every  single  word 
written  or  spoken  to  His  guidance ;  because  I  don't  ask 
Him  to  guide  my  words,  but  to  give  me  His.  I  do  not 
see  why  any  should  ask  a  lesser  gift  when  one  sees  a 
greater  one  to  ask  for,  and  of  course  I  expect  that  He 
will  do  it,  so  the  words  seem  more  resultful  with  less  effort, 
and  generally  with  none  at  all.  I  was  looking  at  many 
possibilities  not  pleasing  to  nature,  and  I  could  not  really 
detect  that  I  had  any  wish  or  choice  apart  from  His  v.'ill. 
I  was  so  delighted  about  it,  and  I  was  so  distinctly  and 
joyously  conscious  that  I  was  not  only  His^  but  entirely 
His,  that  it  came  nearer  to  '  satisfied'  than  anything  yet. 
The  v/hole  thing  is  really  like  living  in  a  miracle  !  He 
has  taken  away  now  all  the  fear  of  going  back  into  the 
weary  old  up-and-down  life.  Why  should  one,  when  He 
is  '  able  to  keep  ' ! 


{To  M.  V.  G.  11.) 

November  13,  1875. 
'I  will  direct  their  work  in  truth.'  So  be  it  as  to 
yours  for  this  year.  I  have  ordered  Eugene  Stock's 
Lessons  on  the  Life  of  our  Lord  for  you — but  why  you 
don't  approve  of  Concordances  is  past  me  or  Moody  to 
imagine  !  He  thinks  them  indispensable  to  fully  getting 
hold  of  a  subject !  Without  one  (after  one's  own  search- 
ings)  you  cannot  be  certain  you  have  thought  of  every 
text  on  a  subject. 


I 


LETTERS,  1870-1875.  241 

In  answer  to  your  question  about  Reality,  I  find  it 
was  written  at  Whitby  on  the  very  evening  of  N.'s  prayer  ! 

Dear  mother  likes  Reality,  better  than  anything  I  ever 
wrote  !  she  gushed  over  it,  till  it  actually  made  the  tears 
come  into  my  own  eyes  !  I  didn't  see  anything  in  the 
verses  myself,  but  mother  says  '  it's  perfect ' ! 

About .  I  have  not  brain-stock  enough  to  turn  out 

any  great  quantity  of  original  writing ;  if  I  spin  too  much 
yarn,  it  will  be  proportionately  weak.  There  will  only 
be  real  value  in  anything  I  write  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  and  extent  of  living  ('  life-blood '  if  you  like)  that 
goes  to  produce  it.  I  am  only  afraid  my  snare  will  be 
to  write  too  much  and  lose  weight  and  substance  thereby. 
Therefore  I  considered  it  would  be  a  most  healthy  and 
useful  variety  of  work  to  arrange  this  Birthday  Text-book 
{Red  Letter  Days)  for  Marcus  Ward.  I  shall  write 
perhaps  a  few  dozen  new  verses,  involving  very  little  new 
yarn  spinning,  as  the  rest  are  old.  I  so  arrange  it,  that 
for  the  next  ten  years,  the  verses  will  be  suitable  to  our 
Church  festivals  or  seasons.  It  is  occupation  of  the 
easiest  kind  over  my  Bible,  and  all  the  time  I  am  putting 
in  rather  than  pouring  out,  and  I  hope  I  shall  not  select 
365  texts  without  some  mental  and  spiritual  gain  to 
myself. 


( To  Margaret  W.) 

Kovcnibcr  27,  1 875. 

God  is  so  good  to  me — it  is  all  '  without  effort,'  and 
has  been  all  along,  as  to  being  perfectly  satisfied  about 
either  suffering  or  waiting.  Sufferuig  is  now  almost  past. 
I   have    very  little    pain    now.        Waiting  will   probably 

Q 


242  LETTERS,  1870-1875. 

extend  pretty  much  throughout  1875 — but  I  have  not 
one  regret  or  quiver  of  longing  for  anything  but  what  He 
appoints.  It  is  quite  curious  to  find  how  completely  He 
has  answered  me  (and  at  once)  as  to  this. — Isa.  xxx.  18  : 
That  is  for  you  as  well  as  for  me. 


December  16. — I  have  come  back  into  the  current  of 
life  after  just  twelve  months  under  His  shadow^  for  such 
the  silent  and  most  suffering  year  was  to  me. 


I 


DIVISION   VI. 


LETTERS,  FROM  1876  to  1879. 


43  BiNswooD  Avenue,  Leamington, 
Janiiajy  17,  1876. 

...  I  have  it  very  much  on  my  mind,  when  really 
free,  to  write  Simday  AIor?iing  Bells  for  the  little  ones, 
and  yet  I  do  not  seem  to  know  what  to  say.  Of  course, 
if  the  Lord  means  me  to  do  it,  He  will  tell  me  what  to 
say  when  His  time  comes ;  but  just  now  I  am  an  '  empty 
vessel '  with  a  vengeance. 

I  have  just  heard  from  the  Punjaub  that  Morning 
Bells  and  Little  Pilloius  are  going  to  be  translated  into 
Hindustani,  and  are  already  used  in  mission  schools. 

I  do  trust  you  are  less  suffering,  if  it  be  His  will. 
Last  year  I  got  great  comfort  in  great  pain  from  '  Thy 
hand  presseth  me  sore.'     That  dear  Hand  ! 

I   am   wonderfully   better  since    I   came   home  ;  the 

work  at threw  me  back  sadly  for  a  while.     I  cannot 

do  much  without  suffering  for  it. 

Yours  in  Him  who  so  loves  us. 


243 


244  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 


{To  M.    V.  G.  H.) 

1876. 

I  was  really  tempted  to  be  almost  envious  of  your 
getting  into  quiet  quarters  !  it  does  seem  as  if  so  much 
of  my  life  were  worn  and  wasted  with  merely  '  seeing 
people ' — of  course,  I  do  try  to  use  opportunities,  but  so 
many  acquaintances  are  just  the  senior  sort  from  whom 
I  neither  gain  nor  can  very  well  give.  And  mother 
always  says  '  nobody  has  such  an  uninterrupted  life '  as 
I,  and  yet  I  know  I  long  for  just  one  week  without 
every  day  but  one  on  average  having  engagements 
(services,  meetings,  lunches,  teas,  etc.)  with  all  the  calls 
and  callers  over  and  above.  Only  once  since  I  came 
home  have  I  got  a  real  country  walk  alone  !  yet  I  would 
give  a  great  deal  to  be  able  to  secure  that  two  or  three 
times  a  week — I  seem  so  to  need  it.  Not  that  I  am 
not  sure  it  is  right,  or  God  would  not  appoint  it,  only 
it  is  mysterious  that  I  should  be  placed  where  I  have 
so  much  of  what  tries  me  much  more  than  actual  work 
would. 

I  had  not  thought  of  the  sea  at  all  this  year;  I  meant 
to  economize,  as  I  so  want  to  do  as  much  as  possible 
towards  finishing  off  B.'s  education.  If  I  went,  I  do 
not  at  all  see  the  use  of  going  in  the  height  of  the 
season,  when  lodgings  everywhere  are  just  double. 
What  I  should  like  would  be  to  allow  for  finishing  my 
books,  instead  of  trying  to  clear  off  the  MSS.  before 
going,  and  then  make  a  real  holiday  of  a  visit  to 
Winterdyne  or  Ashley  Moor  after.  In  fact,  if  any  year, 
I  could  be  sure  of  two  full  months  clear  for  writing,  I 
would  consent  not  even  to  try  to  write  the  other  ten. 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  245 

and  should  get  more  done  !  I  so  want  undistracted 
quiet — it  is  not  merely  being  able  to  get  a  certain 
number  of  hours  at  my  desk,  but  having  the  other 
hours  undistracted  by  so  many  interruptions  and  con- 
troverted topics,  and  knowing  of  perpetual  fresh  phases 
of  naughty  and  mischievous  gossip  and  slander.  I  have 
plenty  of  actual  time  for  my  desk,  but  cannot  come 
straight  away  from  being  annoyed  about  M.  R.,  or  set 
thinking  about  somebody's  difficulties,  and  just  sit  down 
collectedly  to  write,  the  same  as  if  I  had  been  lying  on 
the  grass  or  strolling  up  a  lane. 

Sir  Henry  Baker's  sister  wrote  to  tell  me  how  ill  he 
was,  and  that  he  wished  to  thank  me  for  '  a  deeply 
interesting  letter' — she  wrote  nicely,  and  in  replying,  as 
she  had  mentioned  his  much  pain,  I  '  hoped  it  was  not 
presumptuous  to  hope  that  the  enclosed  leaflet  might 
possibly  be  a  tiny  cup  of  cold  water.' 

A  SONG  IN  THE  NIGHT. 

I  TAKE  this  pain,  Lord  Jesus, 

From  Tliine  own  hand, 
The  strength  to  bear  it  bravely 

Thou  wilt  command. 
I  am  too  weak  for  effort, 

So  let  me  rest. 
In  hush  of  sweet  submission, 

On  Thine  own  breast. 

I  take  this  pain.  Lord  Jesus, 

As  proof  indeed 
That  Tliou  ait  w.itching  closely 

My  truest  need  : 
That  Thou,  my  Good  Physician, 

Art  watching  still  ; 
That  all  Thine  own  good  pleasure 

Thou  wilt  fulfil. 


246  LETTERS,  1 876-1 879. 

I  take  this  pain,  Lord  Jesus  ; 

What  Thou  dost  choose 
The  soul  that  really  loves  Thee 

Will  not  refuse. 
It  is  not  for  the  first  time 

I  trust  to-day ; 
For  Thee  my  heart  has  never 

A  trustless  '  Nay  ! ' 

I  take  this  pain,  Lord  Jesus, 

But  what  beside  ? 
'Tis  no  unmingled  portion 

Thou  dost  provide. 
In  every  hour  of  faintness, 

My  cup  runs  o'er 
With  faithfulness,  and  mercy, 

And  love's  sweet  store. 

I  take  this  pain,  Lord  Jesus, 

As  Thine  own  gift  ; 
And  true  though  tremulous  praises 

I  now  uplift. 
I  am  too  weak  to  sing  them, 

But  Thou  dost  hear 
The  whisper  from  the  pillow, 

Thou  art  so  near  ! 

'Tis  Thy  dear  hand,  O  Saviour, 

That  presseth  sore, 
Tlie  hand  that  bears  the  nail-prints 

For  evermore. 
And  now  beneath  its  shadow, 

Hidden  by  Thee, 
The  pressure  only  tells  me 

Thou  lovest  me. 

It  is  singular  he  made  that  his  own  last  word  to 
his  people !  for  he  wrote  a  short  letter  to  them  in  his 
Parish  Magazine^  and  added  a  P.S.^  'the  following 
beautiful  hymn,  kindly  sent  him  by  F.  R.  H.,'  and  printed 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  247 

it  in  full — thus  these  were  the  last  words  from  him  as 
Vicar.  I  believe  that  man  loved  Christ  personally 
beyond  what  most  do. 

It  is  quite  clear  why  I  was  sent  here,  and  why  my 
cold  got  worse  instead  of  better.  Two  dear  boys, 
thirteen  and  fourteen,  seem  to  have  taken  quite  a  decided 
step  into  life  and  joy.  It  seems  so  very  singular  that 
these  two  should  be  slightly  invalided  just  then,  both 
being  clearly  '  soil  prepared,'  having  secretly  ivished  to 
be  safe.  I  had  two  talks  with  the  elder  on  Friday — a 
most  reserved  boy,  yet  he  quite  opened  out  at  the  second 
interview  to  me.  On  Sunday  I  sent  word  he  might 
come  to  me  if  he  cared,  any  time  while  the  rest  were  at 
church.  Down  they  came,  the  minute  the  door  closed 
on  the  churchgoers,  and  there  they  stopped  till  dinner- 
time ! looked  so  sweet  and  peaceful,  and  told  me  he 

did  '  come '  Friday  night !     Little seemed  eager  and 

thirsty.  During  p.m.  service  I  went  to  them  and  found 
both  at  work  at  'Bible  railways,'  which  I  had  shown 
them  how  to  find  and  make,  and  they  had  together  found 
some  surprisingly  thoughtful  connections.  Went  at  once 
to  the  point,  and  it  seemed  then  and  there  grasped  by 

,   who  just    dropped   his  dear   little  head   on   my 

shoulder  and  cried  for  downright  joy  !  Had  a  most 
blessed  time  with  the  two,  and  prayer,  of  course. 

This  afternoon came  to  me  (I  said  they  would 

find  me  alone  in  the  dining-room  at  5.30),  and  

was  delightful,  seemed  overflowing  with  real  joy,  such 
clear  sight  of  the  '  instead  of  me.'  I  had  talked  about 
Christ  as  reigning  as  well  as  saving,  so  I  said,  finding 

how   sure   he   seemed   about   '  Saviour,'    '  But   is 

Jesus  your  King,  too?'     The  little  fellow  seemed  as  if 


LETTERS,  1876- 1879. 


he  could  hardly  contain  himself,  and  said  so  emphatically, 
'  Oh,  I  have  promised  Him  He  shall  be  my  King,  and 
He  is  ! '     Then  he  volunteered  the  information  that  he 

was  '  quite  sure had  really  found  Him,  too,'  that  they 

had  been  walking  and  talking  together  all  the  time  they 
had  been  out  both  to-day  and  yesterday,  and  had  been 
so  happy  together.  My  proteges  have  taken  keenly  to 
making  bouquet-holders  for  the  Bible  flower  mission. 
You  see  it  was  a  definite  thing  which  then  and  there 
could  be  done  for  Jesus.  They  prefer  choosing  their 
own  texts,  and  have  done  some  beautifully. 


{To  the  latejidia  KirMoffei'). 

March  1876. 

Hurrah  !  I  said  it  when  I  saw  your  ^6,  iSs.  od. 
on  the  card,  so  naturally  I  write  it  also.  You  are  a 
properly  progressive  collector.  Seriously,  I  am  so 
delighted.  If  the  two  or  three  still  remaining  cards 
come  in  at  all,  we  shall  pass  even  the  ;^5o,  which 
seemed  great  things. 

Well,  dearie,  I  think  you  are  doing  the  first  duty  in 
making  home  pleasant,  garden  included.  And  I  have 
a  strong  idea  that  up  to  the  age  of  twenty-four,  it 
ought  just  as  much  to  be  a  preparation  time  with  girls, 
as  it  confessedly  is  with  men — and  that  we  should 
have  more  'thoroughly  furnished'  Christian  lady- 
workers  if  it  were  so.  Only  I  think  the  great  point 
is,  that  it  should  be  regarded  honestly  as  preparation, 
not  studying  or  drawing,  etc.,  merely  because  we  like 
it,   and   it   is   a   nice  way  of  getting  through  the  days. 


LETTERS,  1 876- 1 879.  249 

Pray,  ciear,  that  you  may  be  so  wholly  the  Lord's  that 
everything  shall  be  really  and  truly  as  '  unto  Him,'  and 
that  He  would  prepare  you  for  whatever  He  is  preparing 
for  you  in  the  unknown  future  of  work  and  trial.  You 
see  you  cannot  possibly  tell  what  you  are  really  preparing 
for — only  He  knows  ;  so  how  important  to  put  the  '  pre- 
paration time  '  simply  and  trustfully  and  honestly  into 
His  hands.  I  am  glad  to  hear  of  the  Latin,  and  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  every  kind  of  mental  culture  is 
even  specially  right  for  you.  You  know  I  believe  in 
your  poetry,  spite  of  the  editors  !  Only,  '  His  time  is 
not  yet  come.'  Perhaps  He  will  keep  you  ten  years  in 
the  shade,  before  He  uses  your  pen,  as  I  think  He  will 
use  it — if  it  is  altogether  at  His  disposal — and  all  those 
ten  years  will  be  added  power  and  ripeness.  You  cannot 
think  how  thankful  I  now  am  that  He  kept  me  back  for 
about  that  space !  I  see  as  clear  as  daylight  all  sorts 
of  reasons  why  it  was  just  the  wisest,  best,  and  most 
really  resultful  thing  He  could  have  done.  How  I 
laughed  to  scorn  as  unmitigated  absurdity  a  persistent 
prophecy  of  a  literary  friend  that  '  the  day  would  yet  come 
when  editors  would  have  to  wait  their  turn,'  and  that  is 
precisely  what  it  has  come  to  now,  though  I  as  soon 
expected  to  be  Empress  of  China  !  Trust  Him  implicitly 
about  it,  when  once  we  have  yielded  ourselves  up  to  be 
His  instruments,  and  put  ourselves  entirely  at  His  dis- 
posal, it  is  altogether  His  affair  to  make  the  best  of  us, 
and  bring  the  most  glory  to  Himself  by  us. 


250  LETTERS,  1 876-1 879. 

{To  the  same.) 

WiNTERDYNE,  March  19,  1876. 

This  is  most  delightful, — a  grand  advance  !  and  it 
more  than  covers  my  own  losses  too,  in  the  sum  total ! 
for  had  I  been  well  and  at  home,  I  could  have  certainly 
got  two  or  three  pounds  worth  of  new  subscriptions  or 
donations  to  make  up  for  some  handed  over  to  start  a 
new  collector,  and  some  failures. 

My  mother  has  got  all  my  Leamington  subscriptions 
for  me,  which  is  doubly  kind,  as  she  has  been  ill  herself 
for  more  than  a  month.  It  seems  to  me  that  whenever 
I  cannot  do  ray  own  work,  and  have  to  leave  it  entirely 
to  God,  He  takes  it  up,  and  does  a  good  deal  more  for 
me  than  I  should  have  done  for  myself.  I  asked  Him 
not  to  let  the  Irish  Society  suffer  by  my  illness ;  and  here 
He  incHnes  Katie  B.  and  you  to  do  so  much  extra !  It 
has  been  remarkably  so  with  all  my  books  this  winter.  I 
have  not  been  able  to  communicate  with  any  publisher 
till  a  few  days  ago,  since  October,  when  I  gave  the  MS. 
of  Little  Pillows  and  Morning  Bells  to  Nisbet.  Well,  we 
boldly  started  an  edition  of  4000  each  !  which  were  not 
in  time  for  the  advantage  of  Christmas  orders.  Yet  in 
seven  weeks  we  had  to  reprint  them  !  Also,  they  are 
going  to  be  translated  and  published  by  the  Religious 
Tract  Society  of  France;  and  also  some  one  in  high 
places  is  going  to  give  them  to  all  the  royal  children. 
Caswell  had  to  reprint  my  Five  Benefits  four  times  in  as 
many  weeks,  the  demand  was  so  great !  The  same 
principle  holds,  does  it  not,  dear  J.,  in  everything  (I  do 
not  mean  but  that  we  are  to  do  our  very  best  when  able) 
— the  more  entirely  a  burden,  a  care,  or  a  w^ork  is  cast 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  251 

on  the  Lord,  the  more  entirely  He  takes  it  for  us.  It  is 
so  restful  to  have  given  up  altogether  to  Him  body,  soul, 
and  spirit — all  one  has  and  is — unreservedly.  Life  is  a 
different  thing  thenceforth. 


(To .) 

I  send  you  three  little  songs,  only  arranged  from  my 
tunes ;  but  Hutchings  &  Romer  were  so  taken  with  these 
from  Havergal's  Psalmody^  that  they  commissioned  me 
to  write  a  set  of  six,  with  easy  piano  accompaniments, 
which  I  was  delighted  to  do,  as  it  gave  me  an  opportunity 
of  adding  to  the  very  meagre  supply  of  sacred  songs 
sufficiently  tuneful  and  sufficiently  easy  for  drawing-room 
singing.  Most  of  the  '  sacred  songs '  extant  are  such 
very  pathetic  and  dismal  affairs  that  no  wonder  young 
people  do  not  want  to  sing  them  ! 

Francesco  Berger  has  lately  made  a  very  beautiful  song 
of  my  words,  '  Enough.'  This  is  published  by  Lamborn 
&  Cocks,  London ;  and  I  greatly  hope  it  will  circulate, 
for  the  sake  of  setting  forth  the  truth  of  the  words. 

ENOUGH. 

I  AM  SO  weak,  dear  Lord,  I  cannot  stand 

One  moment  without  Thee  ! 
But  oh  !  the  tenderness  of  Thine  enfolding, 
And  oh  !  the  faithfulness  of  Thine  upholding, 
Aixl  oh  !  the  strength  of  Thy  right  hand  ! 

That  strength  is  enough  for  me. 

I  am  so  needy,  Lord,  and  yet  I  know 
All  fulness  dwells  in  Thee  : 


252  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

And  hour  by  hour  that  never-faiUng  treasure 
Supplies  and  (ills,  in  overflowing  measure, 
My  least,  my  greatest  need  ;  and  so 
Thy  grace  is  enough  for  me. 

It  is  so  sweet  to  trust  Thy  word  alone ; 

I  do  not  ask  to  see 
The  unveiling  of  Thy  purpose,  or  the  shining 
Of  future  light  on  mysteries  untwining ; 
Thy  promise-roll  is  all  my  own. — 

Thy  word  is  enough  for  me  I 

The  human  heart  asks  love  ;  but  now  I  know 

That  my  heart  hath  from  Thee 
All  real,  and  full,  and  marvellous  affection. 
So  near,  so  human,  yet  Divine  perfection 
Thrills  gloriously  the  mighty  glow  ! 

Thy  love  is  enough  for  me  ! 

There  were  strange  soul-depths,  restless,  vast  and  broad, 

Unfathomed  as  the  sea  ; 
An  infinite  craving  for  some  infinite  stilling  ; 
But  now  Thy  perfect  love  is  perfect  filling  ! 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  my  Lord,  my  God, 

Thou,  Thou  art  enough  for  me  ! 


{ToM.  V.  G.  H.) 

1876. 

Other  workers  on  all  sides  seem  doing  more  and  more 
— I  less  and  less  !  I  am  quite  content;  only  it  is  curious 
how  I  have  been  held  back  from  any  work  for  two  and  a 
half  years.  Since  the  Liverpool  Mission  and  the  hymn 
meeting  at  Bewdley,  I  have  done  nothing, — not  even 
any  writing.  I  cannot  now  even  do  the  underground 
individual  work  which  used  to  be  my  speciality  at  Leam- 
ington, for  I  catch  cold  so  often  on  coming  out  after 


LETTERS,  1 876- 1 879.  253 

paying  a  call.  And  now  my  choir  work  is  stopped  too  ! 
as  I  have  another  bad  cold,  and  mother  wishes  me  to 
give  it  up.  By  the  bye,  I  think  you  and  dear  E,  do  not 
in  the  least  understand  that — you  think  it  merely  a 
'  choir  practice,'  which  any  secular  musician  could  take. 
It  is  no  such  thing,  but  the  same  sort  as  my  hymn- 
meeting;  only  that  I  am  now  much  less  nervous,  and 
speak  more  freely  and  personally  than  in  1873.  It  is 
to  me  just  the  same  opportunity  as  having  a  large  open 
Bible  class ;  and  I  am  not  sure  that  it  does  not  give  me 
more  influence,  just  because  it  is  in  a  less  usual  groove, 
as  far  as  those  who  attend  are  concerned.  And  then  it 
is  no  trifle  to  aim  at  real  '  singing  for  Jesus '  in  such  a 
congregation  as  St.  Paul's, — a  really  first-class  one,  both 
as  to  size  and  social  position.  The  aim  I  have  set  before 
them  is  that,  as  Paul  and  Barnabas  '  so  spake  that  multi- 
tudes believed,'  they  may  '  so  sing  that  the  same  result 
may  follow.' 

I  believe  even  the  few  weeks  I  have  taken  it  have  been 
really  resultful.  The  organist  tries  to  express  the  spirit 
of  the  words.  I  told  him  '  I  had  prayed  that  h.\sfi7igers 
might  be  eloquent  for  Jesus.'  He  has  seemed  peculiarly 
struck  with  Hymn  633  {S.  G.  G.),  '  I  gave  ^My  life  for 
thee ; '  and  I  have  had  a  most  hopeful  letter  from  him 
about  it.  Then  the  Christian  members^//// with  me  and 
pray  with  me  heartily ;  and  I  hope  for  real  work  among 
those  of  whom  I  stand  in  doubt.  So  I  question  whether 
I  {-ou/d  better  invest  an  hour  a  week  than  in  this;  of 
course  there  is  no  laborious  preparation,  as  there  would 
be  if  had  a  Bible-class  of  thirty  or  forty  upper-class  ladies. 
I  have  been  waiting  to  explain  this,  because  some  remark 
showed  that  the  work  was  totally  misapprehended.    How- 


254  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

ever,  now  I  am  to  give  it  up  altogether,  and  only  hoi^e  I 
may  perhaps  be  allowed  it  another  season.  Mr.  Rogers 
has  alwa5^s  been  present ;  but  he  is  so  kind,  I  do  not 
mind  him  in  the  least  now,  though  I  wished  him  at 
Jericho  the  first  time !  He  leaves  it  quite  to  me  \  and 
practises  just  as  if  he  were  one  of  the  choir,  setting  a 

good  example !      I  am  told  that  the  Rev.  never 

was  so  meek  in  his  life  before,  and  that  his  wife  says  he 
is  ^  a  sight  to  see '  at  the  practices,  keeping  in  the  back- 
ground for  a  whole  hour !  I  should  not  choose  choir- 
training  as  my  work,  but  it  is  just  doing  it  instead  of  Mr. 
R.,  and  so  sparing  him  time  and  strength  to  spend  on 
his  far  higher  work ;  and  really  nothing  can  be  more 
important  than  that  he  should  be  spared  for  his  pulpit. 


{To ,) 

May  4,  1876. 

Yes,  the  loss  of  my  musical  work  was  nearly  total :  a 
few  plates  happened  to  be  at  the  foundry,  and  thus 
escaped.  It  has  been  my  w^hole  spring's  work  to 
compose  several  quite  new  tunes  to  some  hymns  of 
uncommon  metre;  also  I  had  most  carefully  revised 
many  others,  and  this  work  has  both  fettered  and 
fatigued  me  greatly.  I  must  just  patiently  rewrite  my 
own  tunes  from  memory,  and  I  am  hoping  against  hope 
that  the  proofs  may  be  got  through  by  August,  so  that  I 
can  go  to  Switzerland  with  Maria,  which  would  probably 
do  us  both  immense  good. 

I  heartily  agree  with  you  about  '  business,'  and  wish 
every  Christian  worker,  clerical,  lay,  and  female,  could 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  255 

have  an  apprenticeship  to  some  business  first!  My 
father  was  eminently  business-like,  methodical,  and 
punctual,  and  so  I  ought  to  be  !  Committees  I  never 
belonged  to,  and  never  shall,  and  believe  more  successful 
work  is  often  done  by  some  one  brave  man  or  woman. 

I  am  rather  in  danger  of  being  a  hero-worshipper  just 
now,  inasmuch  as  I  never  did  hear  any  man  (of  course  I 
always  tacitly  except  my  own  dear  father)  whose  sermons 
I  so  totally  like  and  enjoy  as  Rev.  J.  H.  Rogers'. 
I  have  heard  a  few  finer  single  sermons,  but  never  any 
one  whom  I  am  so  glad  '  to  sit  under,'  to  use  that  very 
horrible  phrase !  And  while  I  was  breaking  my  neck, 
looking  up  at  the  pinnacle  on  which  I  had  set  him,  he 
quite  startled  me  by  coming  down  and  seeking  my 
friendship.  He  preaches  courses  of  sermons,  which  I 
always  prefer  to  single  ones — his  Thursday  morning 
lectures  on  the  First  Epistle  of  St.  John  are  glorious — 
only  it  is  such  a  responsibility  to  hear  them.  Then  we 
have  a  delicious  little  Saturday  evening  prayer  meeting, 
and  there  is  an  excellent  curate.  AVe  have  S.  G.  G. 
hymns  to  Havergal's  Psalmody,  and  I  have  been  choir- 
mistress  !  We  have  just  the  sort  of  service  I  like  best, 
brisk  and  bright,  reverent  and  orderly,  with  no  single 
thing  to  fidget  me ;  strictly  evangelical,  and  yet  so  cheery. 

I  have  just  been  reading  the  report  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Meeting  at  Exeter  Hall.  It  must  have  been 
glorious !  Oh,  M.,  I  don't  believe  that  the  former  days 
were  better  than  these.  I  cannot  understand  the  dismal 
view  some  folks  take — '  Of  the  increase  of  His  government 
there  shall  be  no  end' — certainly  we  seem  to  see  the 
increase  when  we  look  back.  Satan  is  very  rampant,  too  j 
but  what  else  can  we  expect  till  he  is  bound  ?     I  am  glad 


LETTERS,  1876-1879. 


you  are  at  temperance  work — I  don't  know  details  of 
that  association,  but  I  rejoice  in  any  attempt  to  rescue 
from  that  awful  drink. 

I  have  drifted  into  helping  the  editor  of  Hy7iins  of 
Consecration.  It  is  odd  what  desultory  work  one  drifts 
into.  But  oh,  M.,  it  is  wonderful  that  He  should  accept 
as  service  such  wretched  scraps  as  are  all  that  I  can 
bring— one  does  long  for  the  perfect  service  above ! 


{To  Af.  V.  G.  H.) 

I  cannot  tell  anything  yet  about  summer  plans — I 
should  like  an  outing  with  you,  but  could  not  go  out  of 
reach  of  a  piano,  as  proofs  of  S.  G.  G.  will  be 
coming  all  the  summer.  If  we  go  to  Snowdon,  I 
could  perhaps  arrange  to  have  the  use  of  one. 

I  have  had  quite  a  struggle  with  my  '  will ' — I  should 
so  like  the  v;ay  to  be  opened  for  me  to  come  and  live 
with  you,  dear  Marie.  It  is  a  very  awkward  position 
here — no  freedom,  always  afraid  to  pay  a  call,  or  write  a 
note  without  specifying.  But  I  would  never  pain  dear 
mother,  or  do  anything  she  did  not  positively  like.  It 
seems  most  clear  that  I  am  placed  here,  and  that  without 
some  most  direct  interposition  of  Providence,  I  should 
be  doing  wrong  to  leave,  and  could  not  expect  a  blessing. 
And  again  it  would  be  bad  for  you,  because  I  could  not 
be  an  active  outdoor  helper,  without  really  giving  up 
what  all  say  is  my  own  work ;  and  my  living  with  you 
would  be  a  mere  drag,  and  prevent  your  having  a  real 
helper.     I  only  let  this  out  to  you  as  my  dear  sister, 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  257 

but  with  the  most  earnest  entreaty  that  you  won't  be 
planning  or  contriving  or  hinting  in  any  way.  If  it  were 
the  Lord's  icili,  He  would  throw  the  door  unmistakeably 
open ;  if  not,  I  don't  want  any  human  hand  to  pick  the 
lock!  *  Trust  you?'  It's  just  the  very  greatest  human 
comfort  I  have,  being  able  to  trust  you  so  implicitly,  and 
knowing  you  understand  everything  better  than  any  one 
else  does.  And  you  never  say  or  do  anything  I  would 
just  rather  not  ! 

I  never  make  the  faintest  opposition,  or  even  counter- 
proposal, now  to  anything  that  dear  mother  arranges  for 
me.  I  have  long  since  determined,  God  helping  me, 
there  shall  be  no  colour  of  excuse  for  saying  I  am  incon- 
sistent. I  know  I  have  been  wrong  nozv,  for  I  was  so 
poorly  and  faint,  I  had  set  my  mind  on  a  day  or  two's 
quiet  and  rest  at  home.  I  quite  longed  for  it,  and  so  was 
disappointed  when  it  could  not  be,  and  was  not  ready  for 
whatsoever  my  Lord  the  King  appointed ;  so  it  is  quite 
right  I  should  learn  to  be  invariably  submissive  to  her. 
Outwardly  I  know  I  am  absolutely  so,  but  outwardly  is 
not  enough.  I  need  not  tell  you  that  I  am  seeking 
patience  and  strength,  but  I  seem  to  be  allowed  to  feel  it 
most  sensitively  and  shrinkingly ,  and  I  found  myself 
praying  most  earnestly  that  this  cup  might  pass  from  me, 
when  you  know  bodily  pain  extorted  no  such  prayer. 
Still  '  Thy  will  be  done '  does  not  fail  in  its  true  sweet- 
ness, and  is  the  deepest  Amen  to  even  that  prayer. 

Leamington,  May  31,  1876. 
Dear   Sister   Maria, — I   have   been   thinking   and 
praying  much  about  your  wish,  that  I  should  come  and 
live  with  you.     I  am  wondering  whether  I  ought  to  take 


2S8  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

what  has  just  passed  as  an  indication  that  I  am  in  the 
right  place,  and  should  not  be  impatient  of  the  little  cross 
attached  to  it.  You  know  part  of  my  feeling  was  that  I 
could  not  be  of  half  so  much  real  use  here  as  I  could 
elsewhere.  Well,  the  last  two  days  it  really  seemed  as  if 
all  at  once  God  would  show  me  that  I  am  of  use ! — it 
has  been  most  extraordinary  how  one  after  another  has 
spoken  or  written  to  tell  me  I  have  been  so  blessed  to 
them  this  spring.  M.  Watson  had  a  great  outpour,  and 
told  me  she  felt  I  made  so  much  difference  in  her  work 
that  she  did  not  think  she  could  keep  on  the  Y.  W.  C.  A. 
if  I  were  not  here  at  all,  and  that  she  knew  my  influence 
was  felt  and  working  beyond  what  I  could  possibly  know. 
A  young  Scripture  reader,  who  is  leaving  for  a  more 
important  post,  writes  me  that  if  my  words  are  as  blessed 
to  others  as  to  him,  I  am  blessed  indeed;  it  seems  I  have 
been  let  lift  him  up  surprisingly,  though  with  very  little 
effort.  The  curate  has  told  Mr.  R.  how  very  helpful  he 
thinks  my  choir  practices  are.  A  choir  member  called 
to  tell  me  what  great  blessing  she  and  three  of  her  own 
friends  have  found  all  this  spring.  The  enclosed  note  is 
another  instance.  Two  other  choir  members  have  taken 
opportunity  to  thank  me^— all  on  the  same  Sunday. 

Then  yesterday  I  had  a  talk  with  Mr.  R.  and  prayer, 
and  he  quite  startled  me  by  saying  he  was  going  to  write, 
but  spoke  instead  to  tell  me  how  he  thanked  God  for  my 
influence,  that  he  was  sure  I  was  unconsciously  doing  a 
far  deeper  and  greater  work  here  than  I  could  have  an 
idea  of;  that  he  saw  and  felt  it  in  the  choir,  and  that  it 
was  spreading  in  blessing ;  and  that  for  himself  he  had 
never  in  his  ministry  been  so  distinctly  conscious  of 
receiving  help,  blessing,  and  influence  from  another;  that 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  259 

it  liad  told  upon  his  own  life  and  sermons ;  that  I  was 
probably  totally  unconscious  of  it,  but  that  he  felt  there 
were  '  streams  of  vitality '  from  me  which  he  felt ;  and 
that  many  others  had  spoken  to  him  of  feeling  the  same. 
He  spoke  most  solemnly  and  with  moist  eyes.  You  may 
fancy,  dear  sister,  how  utterly  surprised  and  intensely 
humified  and  thankful  I  felt,  especially  as  it  so  singularly 
coincided  with  so  many  others  saying  the  same  sort  of 
thing  to  me.  I  had  said  in  speaking  of  choir  arrange- 
ments, ''If\  come  back  in  the  autumn,'  and  he  caught  at 
the  'if;'  so  I  told  him  (under  pastoral  confidence)  that 
there  was  an  '  if,'  but  did  not  explain  details.  He  said 
he  would  not  like  to  hinder  what  might  be  right,  but  that 
T  could  not  realize  what  a  really  important  sphere  God 
had  given  me  liere^  and  that  it  would  be  intense  grief  and 
loss  if  I  were  taken  away  from  St.  Paul's.  ^Vell,  Marie 
dear,  I  only  write  all  this  to  you,  not  to  stop  your  doing 
whatever  you  seem  led  to  say  or  do — only  it  seemed  so 
very  marked  that  I  felt  another  door  must  be  very 
distinctly  opened  ere  I  of  Diyself  close  this,  and  that  the 
'  cross '  was  what  might  well  be  patiently  borne,  if  indeed 
God  is  blessing  my  even  unconscious  influence  in  such  a 
place  as  this.  If  you  feel  inclined  to  write  freely  to  dear 
mother  about  it,  do  so.  \i  she  caught  at  it,  and  it 
seemed  that  her  own  difficulties  would  be  solved  by  my 
leaving,  and  at  the  same  time  you  really  wanted  me  to 
live  with  you,  I  should  take  the  two  together  as  out- 
weighing the  somewhat  strange  coincidence  of  the  last 
few  days.  If  mother  negatives  on  her  side,  then  I 
should  consider  that  what  Mr.  R.  and  the  others  have 
told  me  was  sent  to  encourage  and  cheer  me  in  the 
present  path.     I  am  not  troubling  about  it  in  the  least — 


260  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

either  way.  As  far  as  writing  is  concerned,  I  could  work 
better  with  you  than  at  L.  As  far  as  influencing 
individuals — I  see  that  in  a  place  like  B.—  I  could  not 
exercise  as  wide  an  influence  as  here.  For  myself  there 
would  be  the  set-off  of  sacrifice  of  great  spiritual  privileges 
as  against  the  gain  of  having  your  invariable  sympathy 
and  understanding  and  no  friction.  Well,  dear,  the 
guidance  is  promised,  and  we  shall  have  it ! 


1876. 
I  wish  you  had  heard  the  singing  at  St.  Paul's  last 
night,  —  '  Hermas '  to  my  hymn  '  Golden  harps  are 
sounding,'  'With  hearts  in  love  abounding'  to  Papa's 
tune  'Zoan,'  and  'Tell  it  out.'  They  did  'tell  it  out,' 
rather  !  A  surprising  difference  to  the  feeble  washed-out 
singing  a  few  months  ago — it  was  like  old  St.  Nicholas 
evening  singing,  and  the  church  crammed  like  our  father's. 
Well,  I  would  have  done  the  same  at  Bewdley,  if  Mr. 
F.  had  backed  me  with  the  choir,  and  launched  the 
tunes  and  hymns  con  amore  as  Mr.  Rogers  has  done;  and 
there  was  better  material  in  the  Bewdley  choir  than  I 
have  in  the  St.  Paul's,  where  there  is  hardly  one  good 
voice  in  itself.  Splendid  sermons  on  Sunday,  Acts  i.  7,  8, 
'Ye  shall  receive  power,'  and  i  Pet.  iv.  10.  I  wish  he 
would  just  preach  some  over  again  at  Champery !  I 
have  completely  howled  my  voice  back  again  in  the 
choir ! 

AVe  have  had  it  lively  at  St.  Paul's — *  Crowns  of  glory 
ever  bright'  to  my  father's  arrangement  of  'Lubeck,' 
with  his  *  Hallelujah ' ;  '  I  heard  the  voice  of  Jesus  say '  tg 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  261 

his  tune  '  Evan,'  No.  2 — both  went  first-rate.  In  '  I  heard ' 
we  take  all  the  first  lines  in  unison,  which  brings  out 
what  He  says  finely.  At  night  we  had  '  To  Him,  who 
for  our  sins  was  slain,'  to  my  'Tryphosa'  (which  I  hear 
is  a  special  favourite  both  here  and  at  Mr.  Bromley's), 
and  '  Hallelujah '  to  my  father's  tune  '  Shen.'  Such  a 
lovely  sermon,  John  xx.  29.  Mr.  Shaw  would  have  been 
in  raptures  !  for  Mr.  R.  came  out  strong  about  the  delusion 
and  loss  of  blessing  in  craving  aids  external,  pictures, 
crosses,  etc.,  and  also  the  subtle  snare  to  which  evan- 
gelicals are  exposed,  of  seeking  something  between  them 
and  the  unseen  Saviour,  outpourings  to  a  pastor,  seeking 
spiritual  help  from  Christian  friends,  more  than  direct 
faith  in  Christ's  «' //-sufficiency  for  all  things. 


{To J.  T.  W.) 

Leamington,  May  10,  1876. 
I  have  had  a  wonderful  week,  such  a  lot  of  totally 
unexpected  encouragements  !  I  had  no  idea  God  was 
using  me  here  half  so  much  as  it  seems  He  has  done. 
I  have  felt  quite  overwhelmed  with  His  goodness,  and 
thoroughly  startled  at  some  of  it.  Not  conversions, 
somehow  I  hardly  ever  come  in  contact  with  unconverted 
folk  !  But  very  definite  help  and  upHfting  to  Christians 
in  all  stages.  The  unaccountable  fact  is  that  I  find  God 
has  not  only  been  using  me  the  last  few  weeks,  while  it  has 
been  so  much  brighter  in  my  own  soul,  but  even  during  the 
dimness.  That  is  contrary  to  my  previous  experience, 
and  I  do  not  understand  it.  I  am  very  happy  now  there 
is  not  any  conscious  cloud. 


262  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

A  friend  wrote  that  I  was  represented  as  '  Cordelia '  in 
the  Royal  Academy,  that  is,  it  is  such  a  likeness  that  she 
wondered  if  it  was  a  real  portrait  introduced  !  So  I  felt 
curious  to  see  what  Cordelia's  character  was,  as  I  never 
read  King  Lear,  and  I  took  down  Shakespeare  to  inspect 
her.  But  I  was  not  in  the  humour  for  that  sort  of  reading, 
and  soon  turned  to  my  Bible  and  felt  voracious  !  It's 
almost  too  good  to  be  true,  to  think  that  perhaps  I  shall 
really  be  at  N.  this  day  three  weeks  !  Do  pray  that  I 
may  have  a  real  great  blessing,  and  be  enabled  to  '  pass 
it  on '  to  many  others. 


Argentiere,  July  24,  1S76. 

Dearest  Mother, — We  liked  Fins  Hant  so  much  that 
we  staid  nine  days  instead  of  three  (four  francs  a  day 
each  and  no  extras),  and  walked  down  here  this  morning: 
a  thunderstorm  in  the  night  made  it  cool  and  lovely ; 
arrived  here  in  sunshine  at  ten  \  and  at  eleven  a  tremend- 
ous thunderstorm  came  on,  continuing  at  intervals  all 
day,  grand  and  wild. 

We  have  two  bright,  little,  lofty  rooms  together  on  a 
separate  landing ;  so  very  quiet  for  Maria,  and  most  cosy  : 
our  view  will  be  straight  out  upon  Mont  Blanc  and  the 
Aiguilles  when  clouds  permit,  so  we  can  have  sunsets  and 
sunrises  without  stirring  a  step  !  Maria  has  been  per- 
fectly delighted  all  along,  and  it  seems  I  have  taken  her 
to  places  exactly  to  her  liking  so  far, — it  is  so  very  nice 
coming  with  her,  as  we  fit  into  each  other's  ways 
precisely. 

I  must  tell  you  just  one  thing,  because  it  was  so  very 
original  !     I  had  been  singing  to  myself  two  or  three 


LETTERS,  1 876-1 879.  265 

times,  just  odd  snatches,  but  especially  'Only  for  Thee' 
(to  '  Onesimus ').  Our  good  Lonfats,  a  dear,  simple  Swiss 
family,  were  immensely  pleased,  and  the  old  mother  asked 
me  to  sing  again  (I  had  not  known  they  were  within 
hearing) ;  so  I  told  her  what  the  hymns  were  about,  and 
wished  I  had  French  ones  to  sing,  but  having  none, 
thought  I  might  as  well  see  if  I  could  not  roughly  trans- 
late. However,  on  sitting  down  to  it,  I  found  it  seemed 
no  more  trouble  to  write  French  hymns  than  English ;  so 
I  wrote  one  something  like  *  Will  ye  not  come  ? '  and 
*  Golden  harps,'  and  one  '  Seulement  pour  Toi,'  founded 
on  '  Only  for  Thee,'  but  most  of  it  on  the  converse  idea 
— '  Thou  only  for  me ' — i.e.  Christ  only  having  done  all 
and  being  all  one  needs,  so  as  to  meet  the  '  Jesus  and 
Mary '  of  these  poor  folks.  Well,  M.  said  this  hymn 
was  exactly  what  she  wanted  for  them,  and  said  she 
should  like  to  send  it  to  M.  le  Cure  !  who  had  been  *  on 
her  mind '  all  the  week  !  *  How  send  it  ? '  '  Oh,  I  will 
take  it  myself!'  I  thought  she  was  joking,  and  said 
then  she  had  better  ask  him  to  see  if  they  were  all  right 
as  to  rules  of  French  verse.  *  Very  well,  so  she  would — 
it  would  be  an  excuse  for  calling — besides,  she  wanted 
to  refer  to  a  French  Bible,  and  would  ask  him  to  lend 
her  one ! '  So  actually  off  she  went !  and  had  a  most 
pleasing  interview  —  borrowed  a  Bible  (with  Romish 
notes,  however),  got  him  to  look  over  my  hymn,  which 
seems  to  have  been  respectably  done,  as  he  asked  if  the 
writer  was  French ;  and  she  seems  to  have  had  quite  a 
nice  opening  for  teUing  him  (without  controversy)  of  the 
secret  of  true  peace  and  joy,  and  entirely  relieving  her 
mind  !  Now,  who  but  Maria  would  have  dreamt  of 
borrowing  Bibles  and  getting  Protestant  hymns  revised 


264  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 


by  a  Roman  Catholic  priest !  He  was  most  courteous 
and  nice  to  her,  and  seemed  quite  interested. 

Maria  seems  to  enjoy  our  tour,  and  I  never  travelled 
with  any  one  who  has  such  a  keen  appreciation  of  the 
beautiful. 

To  go  back — we  had  a  specially  lovely  sunset  from 
Lausanne,  July  13,  and  ditto  sail  up  the  Lake  to  Mon- 
treux ;  there  I  took  a  mule  to  Les  Avants  to  see  Miss 
Whately,  who  was  not  well  enough  to  come  to  meet  me 
as  she  intended ;  while  M.  went  on  to  Chillon,  and 
pottered  on  her  own  hook  till  I  joined  her  in  train  to 
Vernayaz.  She  went  to  see  the  Gorge  du  Trient,  while 
I  got  rooms  and  engaged  mules  for  the  next  day,  15th, 
when  we  went  to  Fins  Hants.  Miss  Whately  is  charming, 
very  loving  and  kind  to  me ;  a  wonderful  linguist,  and 
altogether  mentally  superior,  and  withal  a  most  sweet 
Christian  \  I  did  not  have  much  more  than  an  hour  with 
her. 

One  day  while  at  Fins  Hants,  we  '  went  gipsying ' — only 
in  not  quite  the  same  way  '  as  a  long  time  ago ' — 
started  at  6  a.m.,  and  went  up  mountain  paths,  resting 
and  strolling  gradually  till  we  got  to  a  lovely  little  patch 
of  snow  in  a  hollow,  with  whole  beds  of  alpen  roses  all 
round,  and  big  boulders  and  deep  moss  and  shady  little 
pines,  and  full  view  of  Mont  Blanc,  and  any  amount  of 
Aiguilles.  It  seemed  quite  ideal,  till  we  tried  to  go  to 
sleep ;  and  then  we  found  that  not  having  reached  the 
line  of  perpetual  snow,  we  were  within  the  line  of 
perpetual  insects,  and  about  ten  species  of  flies  up  to  the 
size  of  hornets,  persecuted  us  (they  don't  bite,  only  buzz 
and  fidget) ;  so  after  dinner  we  had  to  seek  a  less  ideal 
spot — not  till  after  we  had  had  '  snow  cream,'  which  M. 


LETTERS,  1 876- 1 879.  26s 

made  in  our  tin  cups,  as  we  had  a  good  deal  more 
splendid  cream  than  we  wanted  for  tea.  Later  on  we 
made  tea  most  successfully  with  fir-cones — Maria  making 
quite  a  clever  fireplace  with  stones,  and  such  a  good 
fire. 

We  did  not  come  home  till  after  sunset,  as  we  waited 
for  that  at  a  fine  place,  and  our  old  Madame  was  in  such 
a  state  of  mind,  and  was  just  sending  her  husband  to 
look  for  us.  Maria  made  such  an  impression  on  them, 
they  were  ever  so  fond  of  her,  and  I  believe  she  was 
really  blessed  to  them.  Though  she  did  not  set  herself 
to  work  to  go  out  of  her  way  exactly,  she  seemed  so  to 
get  at  the  root  of  the  matter  with  so  many  to  whom  she 
spoke. 


{To  Tames  Farla7ie.) 

1876. 

...  I  must  tell  you  a  wonderful  bit  of  Ministry  of 

Song,  through  'Whom  having  not  seen,  ye  love.'     I  was 

taken  on  speculation  to  call  on  a  clever  young  gentleman, 

just  an  infidel,  knowing  the  Bible  and  disbelieving  it, 

and  believing  that  nobody  else  really  believes,  but  that 

religion  is  all  humbug  and  mere  profession.     I  was  not 

primed  at  all,  only  knew  that  he  was  'not  a  religious 

man.'     In  the  first  place,  I  had  no  end  of  fun  with  him, 

and  got  on  thoroughly  good  terms — then  was  asked  to 

sing.     I  prayed  the  whole  time  I  was  singing,  and  felt 

God  very  near  and  helping  me.     After  a  Handel  song 

or  two  which  greatly  delighted  him,  I  sang  '  Tell  it  out ! ' 

felt  the  glorious  truth  that  He  is  King,  and  couldn't  help 

breaking  off  in  the  very  middle  and  saying  so,  right  out ! 


266  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

Then  I  sang,^  '  Whom  having  not  seen,  ye  love,'  and 
felt  as  if  I  could  sing  out  all  the  love  of  my  heart  in  it. 
Well,  this  young  infidel,  who  had  seemed  extremely 
surprised  and  subdued  by  '  Tell  it  out,'  competely  broke 
down,  and  went  away  to  hide  his  tears  in  a  bay  window. 
And  afterwards  we  sat  down  together,  and  he  let  me 
*  tell  it  out '  as  I  pleased,  and  it  was  not  hard  to  speak 
of  Him  of  whom  I  had  sung.  He  seemed  altogether 
struck  and  subdued,  and  listened  like  a  child.  He  said, 
'•  Well  there  is  faith  then,  you  have  it  anyhow — I  saw  it 
when  you  sang,  and  I  could  not  stand  it,  and  that's  the 
fact ! '     He  was  anxious  for  me  to  come  again. 

When  I  came  away,  his  sister,  who  had  introduced  me, 
wept  for  joy,  saying  she  had  persuaded  me  to  come  with 
a  vague  hope  that  he  '  might  find  he  could  tolerate  2 
religious  person,'  but  never  dared  to  hope  such  an  effect 
as  this,  and  that  she  thought  I  had  been  most  marvel- 
lously guided  in  drawing  the  bow  at  a  venture,  for  every 
word  and  even  action  had  been  just  right.  I  tell  you 
this  just  because  you  are  publishing  both  '  Tell  it  out ' 
and  other  leaflets  for  me.  Will  you  sometimes  pray  that 
God's  especial  blessing  will  go  with  them  ?  I  should  add 
that  it  was  almost  a  miracle  in  another  way,  for  I  had 
such  a  wretched  cold  that  I  doubted  being  able  to  sing 
at  all,  and  yet  I  believe  I  never  sang  clearer  and  better 
and  stronger.     How  good  God  is  ! 

1  'Whom  having  not  seen,'  Recitative  and  Air,  by  F.  R. 
Havergal.     Hutchings  &  Romer. 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  267 


{^Extract  from  F.  R.  H.^s  answer  to  a  remark^  '  That  death 
7C'hich  we  all  dread.' ) 

'  NOT    ONE    SHADOW    OF    FEAR.' 

1S76. 

No,  not  '  all ! '  One  who  has  seen  and  accepted 
God's  way  of  salvation,  does  7tot  dread  death.  Perhaps 
I  shall  best  express  myself  by  doing  it  very  personally — 
just  giving  my  own  experience. 

I  do  7iot  fear  death.  Often  I  wake  in  the  night  and 
think  of  it,  look  forward  to  it  with  a  thrill  of  joyful 
expectation  and  anticipation,  which  would  become  im- 
patience, were  it  not  that  Jesus  is  my  Master,  as  well  as 
my  Saviour,  and  I  feel  I  have  work  to  do  for  Him  that 
I  would  not  shirk,  and  also  that  His  time  to  call  me 
home  will  be  the  best  and  right  time,  and  therefore  I  am 
content  to  wait. 

One  night  I  was  conscious  of  certain  symptoms  pre- 
luding an  all  but  fatal  attack  of  erysipelas,  I  had  once 
before,  on  the  brain. 

I  knew,  if  means  failed,  it  was  probably  my  last 
night  on  earth.  I  let  my  mother  attend  to  me,  but 
alarmed  no  one,  and  I  was  left  alone  in  bed.  Then, 
alone  in  the  dark,  I  felt  it  might  be  my  last  conscious 
hour  on  earth,  and  that  either  sleep  or  fatal  uncon- 
sciousness would  set  in.  I  never  spent  a  calmer, 
sweeter  hour  than  that.  I  had  not  one  shadow  of 
fear !  only  happy  rest  and  confidence  in  Him  '  in  whom 
I  have  believed.' 

Was  this  delusion?  Could  it  be  so  in  the  very  face 
of  death,  that  great  ?/;/-masker  of  all  uncertainties.?     I 


268  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

knew  it  was  not  delusion,  for  again,  '  I  know  in  whom 
I  have  believed.' 

Now,  how  has  this  come  to  be  so  with  me,  for  it  was 
not  always  thus ;  and  I  know  as  well  as  any  one  what  it 
is  to  'dread  death,'  and  to  put  away  the  thought  of  its 
absolute  certainty,  because  I  dare  not  look  it  in  the 
face. 

There  was  a  time  when  I  saw  clearly  I  could  not  save 
myself — that  I  deserved  hell.  In  many  ways,  but  in  one 
most  of  all,  this — that  I  owed  the  whole  love  of  my 
heart  to  God,  and  had  not  given  it  to  Him ;  that  Jesus 
had  so  loved  me  as  to  die  for  me,  and  yet  I,  unmindful 
of  it,  had  treated  him  with  daily,  hourly,  practical  in- 
gratitude. I  had  broken  the  first  commandment,  and  as 
I  owed  all  my  life,  future  and  past,  to  God,  I  had  literally 
'  nothing  to  pay ; '  for  living  to  Him,  and  keeping  His 
commands  for  the  future,  would  not  atone  for  the  past. 
I  saw  the  sinfulness  of  my  heart  and  life.  I  could  not 
make  my  heart  better.  '  The  soul  that  sinneth  it  shall 
die.'  So,  unless  sin  is  taken  away,  my  soul  must  die 
and  go  to  hell;  anyhow  I  must  'stand  before  the 
judgment-seat  of  Christ.' 

Where  then  was  my  Hope? — in  the  same  Word  of 
God,  I  John  v.  10,  it  is  written,  'He  that  believeth  on 
the  Son,  hath  the  witness  in  himself,'  and  John  iii.  36, 
'  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life  :  and 
he  that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life ;  but  the 
wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him.' 

Believe  what  ?  '  Whom  God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a 
propitiation  through  faith  in  His  blood,'  Rom.  iii.  25. 
He  must  keep  His  word  and  punish  sin,  and  He  has 
punished  it  in  the  person  of  Jesus,  our  Substitute,  '  who 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  269 

His  own  Self  bare  our  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the  tree,' 
I  Pet.  ii.  24. 

Thus  being  *just,'  and  having  set  forth  Jesus  as 
the  propitiation  for  sin — if  Jesus  has  paid  my  debt 
and  borne  the  punishment  of  my  sins,  I  only  simply 
accept  this,  and  believe  Him,  and  it  is  all  a  true  and 
real  transaction.  It  is  no  theorizing  but  acting.  I 
did  it — I  believed  it,  and  cast  myself  utterly  hopeless 
and  helpless  and  lost  in  myself,  at  the  feet  of  Jesus, 
and  took  Him  at  His  word,  and  accepted  what  He  had 
done  for  me. 

Result  ? — joy,  peace  in  believing,  and  a  happy  full 
trust  in  Him,  which  death  cannot  touch.  Now  it  is  a 
reality  of  realities  to  me — it  is  so  intertwined  with  my 
life,  that  I  know  nothing  could  separate  me  from  His 
love, 

I  could  not  do  without  Jesus.  I  cannot  and  I  do  not 
live  without  Him.  It  is  a  new  and  different  life,  and  the 
life  and  light  which  takes  away  all  fear  of  death  is  what  I 
want  others  to  have  and  enjoy. 

I  can  say  that  such  a  light  has  shone  upon  all  the 
dark  bits  of  my  life,  that  even  if  I  was  in  heaven  itself, 
I  could  not  more  clearly  see  why  I  was  so  led — that 
all  the  training  was  needed.  And  nothing  tries  me 
now;  things  that  would  so  have  disappointed  me  do 
not  now.  Even  when  I  am  suffering  severe  pain,  I 
would  not  have  it  otherwise.  And  then  in  daily  life, 
daily  temptations,  I  find  a  victory  in  Jesus  against  sin, 
without  any  struggle. 

And  what  was  trial  to  me, — keen  scathings,  blightings, 
— is  all  taken  from  me,  lifted  out  of  me.  It  is  really 
miraculous,  I  cannot  say  how  ;  certainly  it  was  not  my 


270  LETTERS,  1 876-1 879. 

own  strength,  but  things  that  were  such  agony  and  bitter- 
ness— it  is  all  gone.  All  was  needed — and  all  that  might 
have  been  a  cloud  between  me  and  this  full  sunshine  is 
taken  away.  Now  it  is  utter  calm  and  quietness,  a 
realization  constantly  that — 

Life  is  a  gift  to  use  for  Thee, 
Death  is  a  hushed  and  glorious  tryst 
With  Thee,  my  King,  my  Saviour,  Christ  I 


December  18,  1876. 
,  .  .  '  Shadowless  communion,'  —  there  you  have 
touched  a  chord  indeed  !  I  too  have  tasted  it,  but  I 
have  not  yet  had  the  full,  continual  draughts  which  I 
believe  may  be  ours,  and  which  I  neither  can  nor  will 
rest  short  of !  .  .  .  You  will  intensely  interest  me,  and 
perhaps  help  me  both  for  myself  and  for  possible  future 
ivriting  for  others,  if  you  will  tell  me  anything  that  pen 
can  convey  as  to  your  own  tasting  of  the  'shadowless 
communion.'  Think  aloud  to  me  about  it  for  half  an 
hour  !  Tell  me  how  much  you  know  of  it,  and  yet  how 
little !  Tell  me  what  Jesus  says  to  you,  and  how  He 
says  it;  tell  me  how,  i.e.  in  what  way  it  'blends  with 
outward  life.'  Tell  me  what  you  see  is  to  be  had, 
beyond  what  you  yet  have.  .  .  .  The  enclosed,  My 
King^  has  been  the  greatest  writing  pleasure  I  ever  had  ! 
and  in  it  I  have  said  my  say  about  lots  of  little  points  on 
which  I  wanted  to  have  a  say,  and  My  King  seemed  to 
indicate  a  nice  opportunity  in  this  form.  ...  The  title, 
My  King !  is  in  itself  a  very  song  of  joy  to  me.  ,  .  . 
I  am  afraid  you  will  smile  at  some  sentences  in  it,  but 
I  do  not  seem  able  to  help  saying  absurd  things  in  prose, 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  271 

especially  when  I  want  to  hit  a  nail  hard  and  square  on 
the  head ! 


Febniary  4,  1877. 

....  I  am  so  glad  for  and  with  you  .  .  .  Yes,  that 
is  just  what  I  expected — 'how  He  speaks' — always 
through  His  own  dear  Word.  *  If  it  lasts ! '  That 
horrible  Satanic  '  if  crops  up  everywhere  to  hinder  what 
our  Lord  would  do  or  give.  I  am  so  glad  you  give  that 
'  if '  no  quarter !  *  If '  any  one  will  show  me  chapter  and 
verse  for  '  if  it  lasts,'  I'll  give  in ;  but  it  isn't  in  my 
Bagster  in  any  shape  or  form,  nor  in  any  other  edition 
that  I  know  of,  except  Satan's  own  privately  revised  one, 
from  which  he  quotes.  Oh  how  different  from  'if  it 
lasts'  are  God's  own  words,  'He  giveth  more  grace/ 
'  grace  for  grace,'  '  from  strength  to  strength,'  '  from  glory 
to  glory,'  '  that  ye  may  increase  and  abound  more  and 
more,'  'go  on  unto  perfection,'  etc.  !  If  I  was  not  very 
tired,  and  if  it  was  not  Sunday  night,  I  should  want  to 
write  a  chapter  for  my  new  book  against  that  wretched 
'  if  it  lasts ' !  which  has  saddened  so  many  hearts  which 
Christ  has  not  made  sad.  I  dare  say  I  shall  to-morrow, 
God  helping  me.     (See  Royal  Bounty^  chap,  ix.) 

I  send  you  His  last  special  word  to  me,  '  The  Lord 
shall  open  unto  thee  His  good  treasure.'  Starting  with 
Eph.  iii.  8,  and  ending  never  and  nowhere,  because  the 
'  riches  in  glory '  are  everlasting.  Just  '  search  and  see ' 
what  He  is  going  to  'open  unto  thee"! — Your  loving 
friend  and  sister  in  Him  whom  we  do  love. 


272  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 


Deut.  xxviii.  16  :  '  The  Lord  shall  open  unto  thee  His 
good  treasure.' 

Lesson  I.— The  Good  Treasure— T/ie  Unsearchable  Riches 
of  Christ  (Eph.  iii.  8). 

I.  The  Treasure  itself.  His,  not  ours,  we  have 
nothing,  we  are  'poor'  (Rev.  iii.  17).  Consider  the 
Riches  of — i.  Goodness;  2.  Forbearance;  3.  Long- 
suffering  (Rev.  ii.  4) ;  4.  Wisdom ;  5.  Knowledge  (Col. 
ii.  3);  6.  Grace  (Eph.  ii.  7);  7.  Glory  (Phil.  iv.  19),  cor- 
responding to  our  —  (i)  Sinfulness;  (2)  Provocations; 
(3)  Repeated  waywardness ;  (4)  Foolishness ;  (5)  Ignor- 
ance;  (6)  Spiritual  need  and  weakness;  (7)  Immortal 
spirit. 

How  this  treasure  is  purchased  ?  (2  Cor.  viii.  9).  For 
whom? — I.  The  needy  and  poor  (Rev.  iii.  17);  2.  See 
context  of  Deut.  xxviii.  2;  3.  Christ's  (i  Cor.  iii. 
21-23). 

If  Christ's,  then  all  are  yours. 

II.  The  Promise  itself,  i.  Our  need  of  the  promise 
*  shall  open  ; '  we  cannot  open  ourselves  :  it  is  the  Holy 
Spirit's  office  (John  xvi.  14,  15).  Some  of  us  can  bear 
witness,  '  I  was  blind,  now  I  see,'  but  cannot  say  Cant. 
ii.  16.  Some  can  say  i  Pet.  ii.  7.  Praise  Hirn  ! 
2.  The  certainty  of  the  promise  ^  shall  open.'  Do  not 
say,  '  I  hope  He  will ; '  come  boldly  and  claim.  Do  not 
say  *  perhaps'  when  He  says  'shall'  (Num.  xxiii.  19). 
Faith  is  the  key  to  this  treasure ;  God  gives  it,  it  fits  the 
lock  of  any  promise.  The  Lord  always  responds  to  the 
claim  of  faith.     He  meets  you  with  Matt.  vii.  7.     There 


LETTERS,  1 876-1 879.  273 


h 


is  always  a  promise  at  the  back  of  everything :  Expect 
and  watch  for  the  opening  of  the  lock,  (i)  If  opened  to 
you  it  will  never  be  shut  again,  '  He  openeth  and  no 
man  shutteth '  (Rev.  iii.  7) ;  (2)  If  opened,  you  will  never 
come  to  the  bottom — the  riches  are  '  unsearchable,' 
always  '  more  and  more '  '  incorruptible  ; '  now  and 
through  eternity,  they  are  '  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead.' 
3.  If  opened,  we  shall  not  care  for  other  things,  e.g.  as 
they  were  opened  to  St.  Paul  (Phil.  iii.  8).  4.  If  opened, 
draw  from  it,  be  spiritual  millionaires,  use  it,  trade  with 
it,  the  responsibility  is  great  (i  Pet.  iv.  10).  What  will 
you  do  with  these  riches  this  week? 

Dwell  on  each  word  '  The  Lord  '  —  no  human 
promiser,  but  God  that  cannot  lie ;  '  shall^  fling  this  in 
Satan's  teeth  when  tempted  to  doubt  or  to  be  negligent 
in  search ;  '  open^  it  is  never  shut  up  from  }'0U ;  '  unio 
thee,'  really,  personally,  not  merely  to  somebody  else,  or 
folks  in  general;  ^ His,'  not  yours,  all  his  very  own,  you 
had  no  right  or  claim  to  it ;  ^good,'  recollect  it  is  seven- 
fold, perfection;  '  Treasttre'  even  Jesus  Himself,  the 
Treasure  of  treasures,  in  all  His  fulness  as  your  own 
Saviour,  Friend,  and  King. 

Lesson  II.  —  The  Good  Treasure. 

I.  His  Word.  His ;  the  value  of  the  gift  is  enhanced 
by  the  giver.  It  is  Christ's  gift  (John  xvii.  14),  and  the 
Father's  gift  to  Him  (ver.  8).  Treasure ;  the  value  is 
relative  and  actual.  Relative,  '  more  than  gold '  (Ps. 
xix.  10,  cxix.  72,  127).  If  we  really  find  treasure,  we 
are  glad  (Ps.  cxix.  162  ;  Jer.  xv.  i6). 

A  test  to  apply  to  ourselves  in  Ps.  i.  2,  'delight,'  and 
s 


274  LETTERS,  1876- 1879. 

in  Jer.  vi.  10,  no  delight.  If  there  is  no  rejoicing  in  it, 
the  treasure  is  not  yet  opened  to  us ;  this  is  the  work  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  (John  xiv.  26).  The  answer  to  the 
prayer  Ps.  cxix.  18  is  Jer.  xxxiii.  3.  See  Christ's  own 
double  opening,  Luke  xxiv.  32,  45. 

II.  Actual  The  value  of  the  treasure  is  proved  by 
what  it  will  do  for  us.  '  Do  not  My  words  do  good^^  etc. 
What  good  ? 

1.  We  are  born  again  by  it  (i  Pet.  i.  23). 

2.  Growth  thereby  (Ps.  i.  2,  3)  in  grace  and  in  know- 
ledge (i  Pet.  ii.  2 ;  2  Pet.  iii.  18). 

3.  It  gives  light  (Ps.  cxix.  105). 

4.  It  gives  understanding. 

5.  It  gives  quickening  (Ps.  cxix.  50,  93). 

6.  It  gives  patience  (Rom.  xv.  4). 

7.  It  gives  comfort. 

8.  It  gives  hope. 

9.  It  keeps  from  sin  (outward)  (Ps.  cxix.  11). 

10.  It  sanctifies  (inward)  (John  xvii.  17). 

11.  It  is  profitable  for,  etc.  (2  Tim.  iii.  15,  16). 

12.  It  is  able  to  save  your  souls  (Jas.  i.  21). 

13.  The  climax — by  these  ye  become  'partakers  of 
the  divine  nature '  (2  Pet.  i.  4). 

Faith  is  the  key  of  this  treasure  (i  Thess.  ii.  13); 
'worketh'  all  this  'effectually  in  you  that  believe' 
(compare  Heb.  iv.  2  :  *  Not  mixed  with  faith  '). 

Isa.  Iv.  11:  *  My  word  .  .  .  shall  prosper  .  .  .  whereto 
I  sent  it  '—all  this  ! 

III.  Responsibility  attached  to  the  Treasure.  The 
command  is  Col.  iii.  16  (connect  2  Cor.  iv.  7).     See  the 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  275 

promise (Prov.  viii.  21),  'I  will  fill  their  treasures.'  They 
brt7ig  forth  out  of  this  good  treasure  things  new  and  old 
(Matt.  xii.  35,  xiii.  52). 


February  13,  1877. 
.  .  .  You  set  the  ball  rolling ;  so  when  a  few  days  ago 
the  editor  of  a  magazine  sent  an  entreaty  that  I  would 
do  him  a  poem  on  '  April '  (very  kindly  furnishing  me 
with  the  new  idea  that  its  smiles  and  tears  would  be  a 
nice  theme),  I  saw  in  a  flash  that  there  was  another 
and  very  different  lesion  to  be  drawn — another  fling  at 
the  '  If  it  lasts '  !  So  if  you  should  see  my  poem,  you  will 
know  the  origin  of  the  verses  !  .  .  .  This  morning's  work 
has  been  a  paper  on  simply  the  words,  '  And  this  is  His 
commandment ' !  I  wonder  if  you  would  guess  how  I 
took  it  ?  Oh  pray  still  that  I  may  have  the  King's  own 
messages  to  deliver. 


{To  F.  C.  Kirchhoffer.) 

February  20,  1877. 

.  .  .  My  losses  and  deficiencies  this  year  seemed  more 
than  it  was  possible  to  replace,  especially  when  one 
collector  after  another  sent  much  less  than  last  year.  So 
there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  pray  the  more ;  and  it  is 
perfectly  wonderful  how  God  has  been  answering.  And 
now  your  splendid  collection  is  a  crown  upon  many 
tokens  that  He  has  most  distinctly  heard  and  answered. 
It  is  a  little  larger  than  the  largest  I  have  ever  yet 
received ;  and  as  Miss  B.  gives  me  notice,  she  will  have 
less   instead   of  more   on   her   card.      You,  as  dearest 


zsTTEJf.z  Bar6-«4:^ 


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A^»i 


and 


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aiL    Ilidtf  — 
Civil  it  Mt  1 


IT:-  :^e-  ^  Tlit   aiti:  TI  ie  TiZ-SniV:^ 


..    2     ...ii^-  Ji  s  i  vtfri   iniDL  ih"^:    '^ 

??h^   ur«s  jiiiJA   inr  wa   si    ieai:: 

WkfiU.  1    .  imsLiiiEr.    1  jar  "tnar  iik^  ttittt^ 

«iii£  iiii.'V.r  iu:.  .ill  iime  imi  mis:  ^7a  ier.  Tie 
hudSbsk  jjmut!:  TTtfifnmr  :s  jrnmv  ul  nrxvnr^mis.  im:  sie 
^icDiilfi  nmt  Isi  aie  lame — sr  I  mr  niifLmsn:  .  TTi«mkfri'. 
wnc  TTTf  snfe  jams.  anc.  zhnr  ~viii:  he  svsh  nnrssimmlk" 

^  Ms  jgffiT  wmi:  inr  ^sojil  juMor  isar  TTiTifnfT. — Tunr 


lEfe^L  'Mts  ^ii:t;w3;, — H  Ihssn^  iesn  ftfrrniT^^f  hert^  iw  n 
ainrr  infiiisn2ii  raid.  Sr  yrmr  c^a^  r^-  -  ^.-^^-2^  :Tna;  3 
Tn !  ittt:  '^riTm^  Tii[!nTr  nv  "fr^iT.  i?  -v?^  rnv-  aTs=;weT:gf  ! 

■zmn  I  cmmrc  Tnfcf  &?  ^Biiib  rhy^v.  lur  I  ^Ii^.^l^  .li  mrs: 

jnlTir  111  JsB«e  i  :^V"  TZ'.aK  WUrre:  wcr  ^aur    rn^'n-   hy;=;t^s: 
iiGhr  nuns:  ID  onf  in  ibf  ::  ami  osir  "yhs.. 

PfTTTfffnfhy  Tgsmf  :ir  ig -gw ......   ^  sc.     ZTiLLyim 

ini^\r  :ai?T  iarvf  xit  wrmsr  :ir  oie?  siiii  swssi-  iimzhmc 
"tim??:^.     Anc  -  n: 

^ffr  Tpx-  Vtsir^  Su    _   ....-^...^    ..   ..,    -.^^i 


278  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

of  trying  to  give  them  a  few  helping  words — by  answer- 
ing their  letters  in  person,  and  I  have  changed  my  plans 
on  purpose  to  do  so. 

And  will  you  ask  that  our  dear  Master  would  give  me 
exactly  the  right  words  for  them  ?  I  do  so  long  for  an 
immense  blessing  to  them,  and  through  them  to  all  the 
rest  of  the  school.  Please  give  my  love  to  them,  and 
tell  them  this  from  me. — Yours  affectionately  in  our  dear 
Master. 


July  21,  1877. 
I  have  just  come  in  from  church,  and  two  verses  in 
the  first  lesson  have  brought  to  a  climax  the  strong  feel- 
ing I  have  had  for  ten  days  past  that  I  must  write  to 
you.  Look  at  verses  13  and  14  of  i  Sam.  xv.,  see  how 
Saul  says,  '  I  have  performed  the  commandment  of  the 
Lord.'  And  Samuel  replies,  '  What  meaneth  then  this 
bleating  of  the   sheep,  and  lowing  of  the  oxen  which  I 

hear?'     Well,  now,  dear  ,  this  time  last  year  you 

said,  '  All  for  Jesus,'  and  He  gave  you  a  taste  or  earnest 
of  the  gladness  of  being  '  all '  for  Him,  accepting  your 
intention.  But  where  has  the  fulfilment  been  of  the 
words  which  you  then  said  '  before  the  Lord ' }     When  I 

met  you  at  in  the  winter,  in  our  hurried  parting 

words  I  think  I  must  have  shown  as  well  as  expressed 
the  query  weighing  on  my  mind  whether  it  was  indeed 
'  all  for  Jesus.'  You  told  me,  '  Yes,  it  is ! '  just  as  Saul 
said,  '  I  have  performed.'  But  '  what  meaneth  then '  the 
straws  which  seem  to  show  that  the  wind  does  not,  to 
say  the  least,  blow  unmistakeably  from  the  '  all '  quarter  ? 
Only  straws,  and  yet  they  would  blow  all  the  same  way 
if  it  were  all !     I  will  tell  you  one.     Just  a  very  casual 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  279 

mention  of  your  going  to  now,  and  returning  in 

time  for  the  September  .     I  know  there  may  be  a 

hundred  fair  reasons,  but  go  deeper,  which  was  your  real 
heart  in,  which  was  really  the  thing  you  most  cared  for, 
— coming  '  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  '  in  a  special  effort 
to  win  souls  for  His  honour  and  glory,  or  pointers  and 
partridges  ?  O  be  honest  with  yourself  about  the  whole 
thing.  It  is  7iot  a  light  thing  to  have  told  your  Master 
that  you  will  be  '  all'  for  Him,  and  yet  set  other  things 
before  His  obvious  service.  You  have  had  a  year  now 
of  professed  'all,'  but  how  many  trophies  have  you 
brought  to  His  feet?  How  many  souls  have  you  even 
tried  to  win  ?  Is  the  harvest,  so  far,  '  nothing  but 
leaves  '  ?  Can  Jesus  say  of  you,  '  He  hath  done  what 
He  could '  ?  Have  you  even  given  as  much  energy  to 
*  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty '  as  you  ever 
gave  to  rowing  or  coaching  your  crew  ?  and  if  not,  are 
they  not  solemn  words,  *  Curse  ye  Meroz,  saith  the 
Lord,  curse  ye  bitterly  the  inhabitants  thereof.'  Why  ? 
Not  because  they  had  done  anything  wrong  or  even  in- 
consistent, but  '  because  they  came  not  to  the  help  of. 
the  Lord.' 

God  says,  '  When  thou  vowest  a  vow  unto  God,  defer 
not  to  pay  it ;  .  .  .  better  is  it  that  Thou  shouldest  not 
vow,  than  that  thou  shouldest  vow  and  not  pay.'  You 
can  never  unsay  that  '  all  for  Jesus '  of  your  twenty-first 
birthday.  It  is  registered  for  ever ;  it  only  remains  for 
you  to  make  those  words  true  or  untrue.  If  untrue, 
then  —  !  .  .  . 

Understand  me,  it  is  not  a  question  of  any  particular 
doing  or  not  doing,  but  a  far  deeper  one;  just — have 
you  given  a  true  answer  to  the  question,  *  How  much 


28o  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

for  Jesus  ? '  I  do  not  want  you  to  answer  me  or  tell  me 
anything  about  it,  but  I  do  want  you  to  remember,  '  To 
his  own  Master  he  standeth  or  falleth,'  and  He  knows 
whether  your  promised  service  is  really  whole-hearted 
or  only  half-hearted.  If  the  latter,  it  is  not  an  accepted 
service.  He  accepts  all  or  none.  There  is  not  one 
measure  for  women,  and  another  for  young  men,  *  My 
son,  give  me  my  heart,'  implies  no  less  to  you  than  to 
me;  the  word  of  our  God  draws  no  such  distinction, 
all  is  '■  all '  or  not  *  all,'  just  as  much  in  your  case  as  in 
mine. 


1877. 
,  .  .  Please  see  if  you  can  find  any  syllable  of  mine, 
written,  spoken,  or  printed,  which  either  states  or  im- 
plies that  'the  infection  of  sin  is  or  can  be  wholly 
eradicated  ' !  It  is  just  this  supposing  that  people  said 
or  meant  what  they  never  did  say  or  mean  that  has  led 
to  thousands  being  hindered  from  inquiring  into  the 
'  way  of  holiness.'  Perhaps  the  very  strongest  expression 
I  ever  used  (if  indeed  I  have  used  it),  would  be  '  con- 
tinuous victory.'  And  what  does  that  imply,  but  a  foe 
that  is  7iot  annihilated;  the  very  fact  of  a  continual 
subduing,  however  complete,  proves  a  continual  existence 
of  the  foe  which  is  being  subdued,  and  who,  without 
being  continually  subdued,  would  be  again  active  and 
conquering  !  The  *  On  dit,  qu'on  a  dit '  has  been  Satan's 
fatal  hindrance  in  this  matter.  I  was  aghast  at  being 
told  lately  that  I  had  said  I  had  not  sinned  for  three  years  ! 
'  Oh,  well,  I  was  told  so.'  So  I  investigated,  as  this 
was  really  a  serious  lie,  and  the  succession  of  '  They  say,' 
and  *  I  supposed  you  thought  the  same  as  they  did,'  and 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  2S1 

'  I  supposed  they  thought  they  did  not  sin,'  perfectly 
horrified  me  at  the  tissue  of  unintentional  false  witness 
borne  and  manufactured  by  Christians.  I  appeal,  and 
so  may  '  they  '  appeal  to  *  what  I  have  written  '  or  even 
to  what  they  have  written. 


September  17,  1877. 

.  .  .  Had  I  strength  and  time,  I  should  enjoy  telling 
you  much,  especially  of  the  Lord's  singular  dealings  with 
me  this  summer. 

I  am  here  for  the  baptism  of  my  dearest  Miriam's 
motherless  boy.  She  died  six  days  after  his  birth,  in  the 
most  wonderful  peace,  so  perfect  that  evert  leaving  the 
husband  she  loved  so  intensely,  and  her  baby,  did  not 
cast  even  a  momentary  shadow  of  a  shade  !  .  .  .  You 
can  imagine  what  a  precious  trust  the  sponsorship  to 
'  H.  C.  L. '  is  to  me. 

...  I   have   had    some   splendid    summer    sheaves, 

including  two  ,  who  first  gave  their  own  selves  to 

the  Lord,  and  then  threw  law  and  medicine  overboard 
as  their  intended  professions,  and  will  be,  I  hope,  bright 
gain  to  His  service  in  our  dear  Church  of  England. 

.  .  .  I  am  so  delighted  that  you  find  you  can  cut  off 
that  horrible  'if  and  say  'it  lasts'!  So  I  send  }ou 
confidently  '  He  giveth  ??iore  grace ' — more  still,  and 
more  always — for  you.  I  am  glad  you  have  got  hold  of 
'  shall  not  stumble.'  I  have  a  paper  on  that  in  Royal 
Bounty  or  Royal  Co?nmandinents^  I  forget  which  ;  both 
will  be  out  soon  now.  .  .  . 

You  may  imagine  how  all  you  said  of  the  '  far  better  * 
as   to   your  dear  harmonized   with   my  thoughts 


282  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

here.  And  curiously  the  lovely  verse  of  B.  M.'s,  which 
you  quote,  '  Praise  God,  the  Shepherd  is  so  sweet,'  is  on 
the  grave  of  little  Maud  Prestage,  my  cousin-godchild, 
taken  not  long  ago  to  the  fair  country. 

I  am  delighted  with  your  testimony  as  to  One  Hour 
with  Jesus.  .  .  . 

on  his  twenty-first  birthday  gave  ' «//  to  Jesus.' 

I  had  worked  at  him  in  all  possible  ways  for  two  or  three 
years, — won  at  last !    Spent  more  actual  '  labour '  on  him 

than  almost  any  individual  soul,  except ,  read  with 

him  alone  daily  for  weeks,  prayed  with  him,  wrote  to 
him,  talked  to  him,  and  went  on  at  him  generally  ! 
*  Thanks  be  to  God  which  giveth  us  the  victory  ' ! 


So  delighted  to  find  a  few  days  ago  that  in  Jude  24, 
'  from  falling,'  is  literally  '  without,'  or  '  from  stumbling,' 
which,  of  course,  makes  the  verse  much  stronger  and 
more  explicit,  as  the  Greek  usually  does.  Not  even 
stumbling  !  isn't  that  a  perfect  keeping  ? 


(To  S.  G.  F.) 

September  22,  1877. 

I  supposed  I  was  obliged  to  say  '  Sir,'  because  you 
said  '  Madam ' !  But  it  went  against  me  to  be  formal 
even  for  once  to  the  writer  of  Never  say  Die.  I  made  a 
raid  into  Paternoster  Row  yesterday.  I  felt  puzzled  what 
best  to  do  for  N.  S.  D.,  so  asked  the  Lord  to  guide  me 
at  the  time,  and  show  me  His  way  about  it.  So,  as  I 
wanted  to  see  Mr.  M.,  I  went  there  first,  intending  to 
see  how  the  land  lay ;  but  he  was  suddenly  gone  off  to 


I 


LETTERS,  1 876-1 879.  283 

Rome  !  So  I  asked  to  see  Mr.  S.,  and  found  him  so  full 
head  and  heart,  of  the  Noon-Day  Prayer  Meeting  at 
Aldersgate  Street,  which  he  was  just  going  to  conduct, 
that  it  did  not  seem  the  right  time  to  distract  him  with 
my  business — he  had  his  Bible  open,  and  was  using  his 
last  half-hour  for  preparation.  So  then  I  went  to  P. 
and  asked  for  Mr.  P.  himself,  and  gave  him  an  N.  S.  D., 
and  told  him  my  views  ;  he  asked  a  lot  of  questions, — 
I  think  he  wanted  to  find  whether  my  opinion  was 
biassed  by  personal  friendship  !  so  I  was  glad  I  had  not 
had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  ! 

Perhaps  you  would  hardly  guess  how  very  much  what 
you  said  about  My  Ki?ig  delighted  and  encouraged  me. 
I  never  expected  men  to  read  or  care  for  it, — I  did  not 
aim  higher  than  girls  of  whom  I  have  a  considerable 
following.  It  is  far  more  than  I  hoped, — for  I  am  not 
one  of  those  terrible  '  strong-minded  women,'  but  I  think 
we  have  quite  '  rights '  enough  in  proportion  to  our 
powers  and  position.  And  I  never  thought  of  reaching 
men  by  anything  I  might  write ;  yet  you  and  others  are 
willing  to  listen  to  the  little  things  I  have  to  say,  and  I 
take  it  as  an  extra  token  for  good — the  more  pleasant, 
because  unsought  and  unexpected.  I  am  following  it 
up  with  two  new  books  (now  nearly  finished  printing), 
Royal  Cojnviandrnenis  and  Royal  Bounty.  I  am  inclined 
to  envy  your  special  gift  of  heart-words  to  the  very  far 
off — it  seems  so  much  more  like  the  Master  than  mine  ; 
but  still  it  is  very  sweet  to  be  allowed  to  write  for  our 
fellow-servants,  which  is  what  I  most  often  seem  led 
to  do. 

Do  not  withhold  your  name.  Your  father  is  so  well 
known  that  the  mention  excites  interest  directly.     And 


284  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

if  the  Master  should  lead  you  on  further  in  this  path 
(and  I  think  He  will),  it  is  for  several  reasons  better 
to  give  your  name  at  once  and  start  fair  with  it.  Is 
it  not  a  sort  of  little  offering  to  Him  of  that  which  is 
already  His  own?  For  our  names  are  His,  and  why 
should  He  not  have  the  use  of  them  ? 


{To  Margaret  W.) 

I  don't  fancy  somehow  that  I  shall  ever  be  quite  so 
strong  as  I  was,  nor  able  for  just  the  same  as  other 
people.  I  did  think  that  I  might  have  been  even 
stronger,  but  now  I  think  that  is  not  likely;  so  the 
'  pleasing  perfectly  '  will  have  to  be  rather  my  aim  than 
the  '  serving  much,'  i.e.  '  till  my  change  come  ' — then  I 
'shall  serve  Him' — and  won't  it  be  delicious?  (Ezek. 
xliv.  15,  16).  So  Num.  xvi.  5  belongs  to  you,  and  the 
7th  verse.  But  it  begins  with  the  being  chosen,  and 
from  that  flows  the  '  come  near '  and  '  shall  be  holy.' 

Did  you  ever  think  that  our  Lord  must  have  had  a 
great  deal  of  such  refraining  from  what  He  would  have 
done  ?  It  must  have  been  very  hard  not  to  make  greater 
displays  of  His  love  and  power ;  for  surely,  if  that  had 
been  His  Father's  will,  He  could  just  as  easily  have  done 
His  personal  work  and  ministration  on  a  far  larger  scale, 
even  during  the  last  three  years,  much  more  during  the 
thirty  years  of  such  closely-veiled  glory. 


LETTERS,  1 876-1 879.  285 

October  1877. 
Dear  M.,  will  you  pray  for  me,  that  I  may  have  '  the 
patience  of  Jesus  Christ,'  however  long  this  lasts,  and 
that  He  would  graciously  help  me  over  what  must  be  a 
very  weary  and  probably  suffering  journey  ?  I  will  enclose 
you  some  verses,  which  came  to  me  on  the  words,  '  ONL  V 
for  Jesus. ^  Make  the  printer  put  the  very  biggest  and 
fiercest  ONLY  he  can  !  People  will  emphasize  any 
word  but  that  in  their  Hves,  and  it  is  just  being  '  Only 
for  Jesus  '  that  make  all  the  difference.  They  are  ready 
enough  to  emphasize  '  Jesus,'  if  they  may  only  drop  the 
severe,  uncompromising  '  Only '  into  the  shade.  Do 
you  see  ? 

ONLY  for  Jesus  !  Lord,  keep  it  for  ever 

Sealed  on  the  heart  and  engraved  on  the  life  ! 

Pulse  of  all  gladness,  and  nerve  of  endeavour, 
Secret  of  rest,  and  the  strength  of  our  strife  ! 


I 


I  have  enclosed  a  parcel  for  you.  It  is  a  present 
which  you  won't  care  twopence  for  at  present,  so  you 
needn't  profess  to  !  But  I  believe  you  will  care  for  it  if, 
please  God,  this  time  ten  years  or  so,  you  are  bringing 
forth  out  of  His  treasure  things  new  and  old  for  some 
flock  committed  to  you.  It  is  a  set  of  Goodwin's  Works 
— one  of  the  grandest  and  oldest  of  the  17th  century 
writers — much  too  deep  and  solid  for  modern  taste,  but 
full  of  Christ  and  of  '  the  deep  things  of  God.'  Some 
day  if  you  are  going  to  preach  out  of  Ephesians,  you 
will  find,  I  should  think,  everything  that  could  be  said 
on  every  single  word  of  the  first,  and  part  of  the  second 
chapter.  He  is  called  *  that  peerless  divine,  and  star 
of  the  first  magnitude ' ! 


286  LETTERS,  1876- 1879. 

November  15,  1877. 

If  I  wait  till  I  can  write  you  a  long  letter,  I  may  never 
write  at  all !  so  I  will  just  send  you  a  few  lines,  chiefly 
to  tell  you  how  glad  your  letter  made  me.  For  I  think 
I  see  in  it  that  Jesus  is  more  of  a  reality  to  you  than 
before.  And  after  all,  it  all  hinges  on  that ;  it  is  the 
old  question,  '  What  think  ye  of  Christ  ? '  Is  He  nothing, 
or  something,  or  everythi?ig  ?  It  is  a  help  to  pull  oneself 
up  with  plain  questions  now  and  then. 

I  had  a  really  beautiful  letter  from  lately  ;    I 

think  he  will  get  less  reserved  by  being  at  College. 
What  I  most  want  to  hear  of  you  is  that  God  has  given 
you  the  great  joy  of  winning  some  soul  for  Christ. 
When  once  you  have  had  that,  you  will  never  rest  with- 
out more,  I  think.  It  is  like  a  tiger  tasting  blood  !  I 
am  so  very  glad  you  have  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
an  ordination.  May  every  day  be  preparing  you  for 
your  own  solemn  vows.  I  have  got  lots  oi  new  C.  P. 
members.  How  beautiful  the  estimate  of  Christ  in  our 
chapter  this  morning  is  !  *  Chiefest ' !  Link  it  with 
Phil.  iii.  8-10. 


{To  M.J.  W.) 

November  5,  1877. 

I  hope  you  will  not  mind  my  not  fulfilling  your  request 
to  write  an  answer  to  the  letters  you  send  me  from 
Plymouth  sisters.  The  fact  is,  I  am  so  utterly  startled 
and  entirely  shocked  at  them,  that  I  cannot  think  it  worth 
while  to  write  seriatim.  The  cool  ignoring  of  the  clearest 
Bible  commands  and  teaching,  the  un-gospel  spirit  of 
judging,   condemning,  and  want   of  the   gentle   charity 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  287 


which  should  be  learnt  at  the  Master's  feet,  are  to  me 
most  saddening.  I  do  not  mean  so  much  of  the  writers 
personally,  but  of  the  principles  they  lay  down,  and  the 
inevitable  results  of  following  out  those  principles. 
From  a  merely  critical  and  intellectual  point  of  view,  I 
see  it  would  be  waste  of  time  to  argue  \  as  a  mind  which 
can  in  all  good  faith  base  its  arguments  and  build  its 
conclusions  on  the  merest  assumptions,  and  never  even 
see  that  it  is  doing  so,  must  be  left  to  its  own  inverted 
pyramids  ! 

If  the  writer  of  the  three-sheet  letter  had  but  spent 
the  same  energy  on  seeking  to  set  forth  Jesus  and  His 
salvation  to  some  one  who  does  not  know  His  precious- 
ness,  as  she  has  spent  on  trying  to  unsettle  one  who 
does  know  Him,  surely  it  would  have  been  much  more 
like  the  Master's  own  work !  Instead  of  writing,  I  can 
only  pray  that  she  may  be  delivered  from  what  her  letter 
additionally  convinces  me  is  one  of  the  special  devices 
of  the  enemy  for  hindering  the  Lord's  real  work  and  the 
real  unity  of  the  Spirit.  It  is  *  strong  delusion,'  and 
God  grant  that  deeper  searching  of  His  word  with  the 
light  of  His  Spirit  in  the  clear  atmosphere  of  greater 
humility,  may  show  her  that  it  is  so. 


1S77. 
A  very  strong  light  has  come  to  me  about  this 
almanack !  Do  you  not  beheve  that  remarkable  coin- 
cidences are  not  chance,  but  God's  leading?  I  need 
not  tell  you  I  do  !  Well  then,  was  it  not  striking  that 
you  should  have  been  troubled  about  these  opinions, 
and  that  immediately  after  I  should  have  been  led  to 


288  LETTERS,  1876- 1879. 

suggest  what  may  and  will  (probably)  at  least  help  to 
keep  others  from  being  unsettled,  2  and  2  make  4  ! 

I  believe  we  are  punished  for  a  sort  of  half-cowardly 
shrinking  from  acting  up  to  our  own  light,  and  fearing 
to  tell  others  frankly  what  we  believe  to  be  the  more 
excellent  way.  How  many  young  Christians  might  be 
saved  from  drifting  off  to  the  P.  B.  S.  if  Church  mem- 
bers were  not  so  dreadfully  afraid  of  showing  their 
colours !  So  far  as  I  am  aware,  my  father  never 
through  all  his  ministry  had  any  one  single  member  of 
of  his  flock  go  off  to  them,  nor  even  nibble  at  it,  because 
he  never  shrank  from  showing  them  why  we  should  value 
our  Church.  And  yet  he  never  had  the  least  trouble 
with  dissenters  ;  they  always  cordially  respected  him  and 
understood  him,  far  more  so  than  many  who  were  less 
loyal  to  their  Church  principles. 


December  14,  1877. — Pray  for  me,  darling  E.,  for  I 
am  passing  through  some  of  the  strangest  as  well  as  the 
keenest  trials  I  ever  had,  which  is  saying  a  good  deal ! 


0AKHAMPT0N,yi2««a!rj/  3 1,   1 878. 

I  determined  I  would  '  never  say  die '  till  somebody 
published  your  book,  and  also  that  I  would  not  write  to 
you  till  I  could  tell  you  I  had  succeeded  about  it ! 

Now  it  is  your  turn  to  act,  and  I  hope  you  will  find 
time  to  set  to  work  immediately,  and  put  the  whole 
into  shape,  i.e.  into  short  chapters,  and  short  paragraphs, 
and  short  sentences.     And  if  you  can  invent  lively  little 


LETTERS,  1 876-1879.  289 


titles  for  each  chapter,  so  much  the  better,  and  the 
queerer  the  better. 

I  have  never  thanked  you  for  the  exquisite  card,  quite 
a  treasure — it  is  so  totally  uncommon,  and  the  colouring 
so  rich.  I  am  busy  trying  to  get  all  or  most  of  a  new 
book  (into  which  I  am  putting  my  very  heart),  done 
during  a  very  restful  and  quiet  visit  here,  while  my  sister 
relieves  guard  at  Leamington — so  I  have  not  time  for  a 
proper  letter, 

A  beautiful  photograph  hangs  close  by  the  drawing- 
room  piano  here,  and  I  look  at  it  while  I  sing ;  but  it 
never  occurred  to  me  to  ask  whose  it  was  till  a  few 
minutes  ago.  '  Ah,'  says  my  sister,  '  that's  a  photograph 
of  a  picture  of  St.  Ouen  by  your  friend,  S.  G.  Prout ! ' 


{To  G.  S.  P.) 

Oakiiampton,  February  8,  1878. 
The  '  Grey  Raven '  must  allow  me  the  privilege  of 
a  little  contribution  towards  the  '  bread  and  flesh.'  If 
only  you  had  not  written  such  very  awful  Sanskrit,  I 
should  have  shown  your  letter  right  and  left !  but  nobody 
could  be  expected  to  read  it  second-hand  !  I  wish  you 
would  send  that  story  of  the  poor  hungry  woman  to  the 
TimeSy  not  touched  up  a  bit,  but  just  as  you  wrote  it  to 
me.  Who  could  resist  it?  It  is  terribly  bad  taste  to 
quote  oneself,  but  I  cannot  help  it  this  time,  so  you 
must  forgive  ;  but  thinking  of  your  present  work,  the 
lines  kept  humming  in  my  head — 

'  The  King  will  stoop  to  crown  it 
With  His  gracious  Inasmuch.' 
T 


290  LETTERS,  1 876-1 879. 

Of  course,  I  read  Down  the  Steep — you  have  some- 
thing of  the  poet  in  you  (as  well  as  of  pretty  nearly 
everything  else,  it  seems  !),  but  I  was  not  so  personally 
struck  with  it  as  with  N.  S.  D.  But  it  is  a  poem  and 
not  mere  rhyme.  Will  the  specimen  page  of  N.  S.  D. 
do  ?  You  might  give  your  mind  sufficiently  to  say  yes 
or  no  to  that ! 

And  don't,  oh  don't,  write  Sanskrit  to ,  or  he  will 

send  me  your  letter  to  decipher,  and  I  shall  have  to 
write  it  out  for  him. 

My  new  book  is  The  Royal  Invitation — distinctly  and 
entirely  for  outsiders  ;  I  have  long  wanted  to  have  a  full 
fair  shot  at  those  who  are  not  the  King's  children.  Can 
you  spare  two  minutes  to  pray  that  I  may  have  special 
help  in  this  ? 

Beheve  me,  there  is  real  spiritual  power  in  what  you 
have  written ;  as  I  glanced  over  your  specimen  page  I 
felt  inclined  to  envy  you, — it  throbs  with  life  and  warm 
reality.  Oh,  may  you  have  the  joy  of  bringing  the  living 
v/ater  to  thousands  by  it !  And  then,  as  I  share  in 
praying  for  this,  I  shall  have  a  share  in  the  praise  for 
it !  It  is  a  good  investment,  I  consider  !  So  you  might 
put  a  little  prayer  about  that — please  do  !  I  do  not  feel 
sure  of  their  accepting  it,  because  so  few  will  sing  such 
very  '  out  and  out '  words,  unless  Sankey  had  first  taken 
it  up. 

is  lingering  just  '  outside  the  door.'    I  have  given 

him  as  strong  personal  pulls  as  I  know  how,  but  he  is 
not  inside  yet. 

I  mean  your  book  to  '  go ; '  I  have  got  a  large 
Scotch  bookseller  to  start  Never  say  Die,  and  I  promise 
you   a   start   in   Dublin   too.      Wonder   what   else   the 


LETTERS,  1 876-1 879.  291 

Lord  is  preparing  you   to  do  by  keeping  you   in   the 
shadow. 

I  do  so  feel  for  your  dear  sister. 


{To  Leonard  Bickerstaff.) 

February  7,  1878. 

I  have  a  request  to  you,  for  which  yours  to  me 
gives  opportunity.  Will  you  take  it  up  as  a  little  bit 
of  special  praying  work  during  the  next  few  days  ?  I 
have  written  twenty-two  chapters  of  my  new  book,  TJie 
Royal  Invitation ;  or^  Daily  Thoughts  on  coming  to 
Christ,  and  I  do  long  for  very  special  help  for  the 
nine  chapters  which  remain  to  be  written.  I  want  the 
Lord  to  give  me  every  word,  and  not  let  me  write  a  word 
without  Him,  nor  a  sentence  that  is  not  a  message  from 
Him.  I  do  so  want  to  win  those  who  have  never  yet  come 
to  Jesus.  Will  you  ask  this  for  me  every  day  till  about 
next  Thursday,  by  which  day  I  shall  about  finish,  please 
God. 

Why  not  join  both  the  Scripture  -  reading  Unions  ? 
Ever  so  many  are  members  of  both.  Both  are  good 
solid  bread,  but  I  prefer  the  whole  loaf  to  the  half  one, 
both  for  myself,  and  more  especially  for  the  sake  of  the 
many  whom  I  thus  induce  to  read  twice  a  day,  who 
otherwise  would  read  only  once.  I  have  often  said  to 
others,  '  Join  Mr.  Richardson's  Union  for  the  sake  of 
your  personal  friends,  but  join  Mr.  Boys'  for  the  sake  of 
work  among  others.'  The  one  chapter  a  day  is  a  pleasant 
link,  but  the  two  chapters  are  a  lever  to  raise  those  who 


292  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

need  raising  to  fuller  feeding  on  the  Word.  I  myself 
have  joined  both. — Yours  affectionately  in  our  dear 
Master. 


February  14,  1878. 

The  twelve  o'clock  prayer  to-day  was  commuted  into 
thanksgiving  for  completed  work ;  so  I  write  at  once  to 
tell  you  that  the  good  Lord  has  given  it  me  all,  and  fully 
answered  the  prayer  that  it  might  be  done  without 
difficulty  or  strain.  I  have  now  merely  to  put  it  straight 
for  the  press,  fill  in  the  references,  and  send  it  off.  But 
the  last  sentence  is  written  !  I  shall  write  no  preface; 
the  title  is,  The  Royal  Lwitatioti ;  or^  Daily  Thoughts  on 
Coming  to  Christy  and  I  prefer  leaving  it  to  the  reader 
to  find  out  who  I  am  aiming  at. 

I  shall  next  see  about  a  re-cast  of  the  Ministry  of 
Song,  and  Under  the  Surface  for  one  volume.  Life 
Mosaic.  This  will  be  an  opportunity  of  dropping  out  a 
dozen  or  two  of  the  weakest  pieces,  and  I  must  ask 
clear  guidance  to  do  this  judiciously.  Next,  I  want  to 
arrange  Daily  Melodies  for  the  King^s  Minstrels.  I  am 
reserving  MS.  poems  for  a  still  future  book. 


Wish  I  knew,  Marie  dear,  if  you  are  sacrificing  your- 
self very  much  for  me.  You  tell  me  when  I  had  better 
propose  to  return  home.  I  do  feel  most  grateful  to  you, 
and  certainly  I  am  in  greatest  possible  clover  of  quiet 
and  luxury  at  Oakhampton.  I  have  not  had  such  rest 
since  the  farmhouse  at  the  Highlands  (Herefordshire). 
Please  order  Spanish  Brothers  for  a  present;  it  is  a 
book  I  much  admire. 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  293 

1878. 
Tell  Mr.  Shaw,  Parlane  sent  me  some  time  ago  a  letter 
from  the  widow  of  good  Duncan  Matheson.  He  had 
owed  P.  about  ;^ 20  for  printing  his  hymn-book.  Mrs. 
Matheson  paid  it,  and  Parlane  generously  returned  the 
whole  to  her.  She  says  :  '  When  you  sent  the  account, 
it  came  the  day  after  my  beloved  husband  died.  You 
enclosed  a  leaflet  by  F.  R.  H.,  the  text  at  the  heading 
was,  "  My  God  shall  supply  all  your  need,"  and  the  last 
line  of  each  verse  was,  "  God  shall  all  your  need  supply." 
I  cannot  tell  you  the  blessing  I  got  in  reading  it,  and 
each  day  it  has  been  in  my  mind,  and  I  have  felt  its 
sweetness,  and  now  your  returning  the  money  is  another 
proof  of  His  faithfulness.'  I  am  so  glad  I  had  thus  un- 
wittingly the  privilege  of  comforting  Duncan  Matheson's 
widow. 


{To  KT.H.) 

The  letter  you  delayed  was  not  of  any  consequence, 
only  one  of  the  usual  gushing  sort ;  thanks  for  my 
writings,  which  seem  spreading  in  America  very  fast.  They 
reprint  my  books  there  with  no  reference  whatever  to  me 
or  Nisbet !  Yes,  dear  Frank,  I  often  feel  how  I  need 
counterbalancing  trials  (of  which,  in  more  ways  than 
one,  I  have  had  more  than  you  know  of)  with  all  this 
singular  success.  I  do  want  all  my  work  to  be  purely 
and  07ily  for  our  dear  Master,  and  not  to  work  even  for 
work's  sake,  much  less  as  pleasing  men  or  myself, 
liut  it  is  very  curious  that  the  very  amount  of  expressions 
of  pleasure,  gratitude,  etc.,  which  I  get,  deadens  their 


294  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

effect,  just  like  opium  !  You  see  when  one  gets  half-a- 
dozen  a  day  at  least  of  such  letters  as  would  have  elated 
me  for  a  week  a  few  years  ago,  they  come  to  be  almost 
a  bore  !  and  really  I  have  to  watch  against  the  opposite 
temptation  not  to  be  grateful  for  all  this — not  to  think 
enough  of  it.  However,  I  certainly  was  extra  gratified  by 
your  telling  me  that  the  good  Bishop  of  Hereford  cared 
for  anything  I  wrote,  and  placed  the  card  on  the  mantel- 
shelf.    ('  No  rose  without  a  thorn.') 

And  I  was  much  more  grateful,  dear  Frank,  for  your 
thoughtful  and  brotherly  words  of  warning,  than  I  am 
for  several  dozen  of  the  gushing  letters  I  get ! 

I  have  several  times  thought  I  should  like  to  buy  your 
harp-piano — it  would  be  at  times  of  very  great  use  to 
me  for  composing  in  my  own  room  without  being  over- 
heard, the  consciousness  of  which  I  am  foolishly  sensitive 
about,  and  never  can  compose  if  any  one  is  in  the  house  ! 
But  just  now  I  could  neither  pay  for  it  nor  use  it,  lest  it 
might  disturb  dear  mother.  She  is  far  worse  than  when 
you  were  here.  Nurse  says  so — not  that  there  is  any 
immediate  danger,  but  that  she  is  worse  is  evident. 


May  13,  1878. 

My  poor  mother  is  very  ill,  the  end  may  be  very  near. 
It  is  an  exceptionally  distressing  and  trying  illness  in 
all  respects — God  has  had  many  special  lessons  to  teach 
us  by  it,  and  *  who  teacheth  like  Him  ? '  Pray  for  us, 
dear  friend. 

I  don't  suppose  I  ever  sent  you  Such  a  Blessing.  I 
cannot  but  see  what  I  have  seen,  and  do  see.  And  if 
*  all '  in  I  John  i.  7  does  not  mean  '  all,'  how  much  does 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  295 

it  mean  ?  and  if  '  cleanseth '  only  means  '  cleansed  me 
when  I  said  my  prayers  last  night,'  what  force  is  there 
in  tenses  ?  And  I  know  that  such  a  blessing  is  to  be 
had,  and  that  life  is  a  different  thing  then.  And  I 
know  that  it  is  not  perfection,  7ior  perfectionism,  because 
if  it  were,  I  should  not  need  ar\,d  desire  and  claim  that 
wonderful  perpetual  present  tense — '  goes  on  cleansing ; 
I  cannot  do  without  the  precious  blood  of  Jesus  one 
hour  or  one  moment. 

Many  thanks  for  your  sermon,  it  is  so  nice  j  I  am 
going  to  send  it  on  to  the  Baroness ;  I  know  she  wiil 
like  it. 


{To  E.  T.) 

May  26,  8  A.  M. 

A  line  to  ask  you  all  to  pray  that  if  it  is  His  will, 
He  would,  in  very  pity,  release  our  poor  unconscious 
sufferer.  ^My  sister,  who  professes  to  be  able  to  stand 
anything,  broke  down  a  few  hours  ago  after  so  many  days' 
incessant  watching  with  our  good  nurse  Carveley.  Again, 
all  yesterday,  we  were  watching,  expecting  every  breath 
to  be  the  last,  and  the  whole  night  as  three  times  before 
has  been  one  long  struggle.  Poor  mother  is  still  uncon- 
scious— it  is  most  distressing.  I  want  you  to  ask  for  me 
that  I  may  be  enabled  to  trust  quietly  about  my  sister, 
that  is  the  greatest  strain  upon  my  trust,  knowing  by 
previous  experience  the  results  of  overstrain,  but  I  did 
not  think  she  would  break  down  now;  I  have  been 
entreating  Him  not  to  let  me  quiver  about  this,  and  am 
so  thankful  for,  '  I  have  prayed  for  thee  that  thy  faith 
fail  not.' 


296  LETTERS,  1876- 1879. 

TO  NURSE  CARVELEY. 

I  have  no  photograph  to  give, 

And  so  I  do  not  ask  for  yours ; 
But  I've  a  picture  that  will  live 

As  long  as  memory  endures. 
The  faithful  word,  the  pleasant  face, 

The  skilful  hand,  the  watchful  eye. 
The  *  sunshine  in  a  shady  place,' — 

This  photograph  will  never  die  ! 

May  29,  1878, 
(F.  R.  H.'s  tribute  to  the  nurse  of  her  stepmother  C.  A.  H.) 


{Post  Card.) 

May  31,  1878. 

Our  poor  sufferer  entered  into  rest  on  Sunday  after- 
noon. The  last  fortnight  has  been  trying  and  distressing 
beyond  anything  I  ever  heard  of,  let  alone  saw.  Eight 
days  and  nights  of  literal  dying  and  every  distressing 
concomitant  imaginable.  God  has  been  answering  my 
eager  prayer  for  more  teaching,  by  '  terrible  things,' 
according  to  Ps.  Ixv.  5.  But  it  is  over  now,  and  my  text 
for  to-day  is,  '  He  hath  done  all  things  well.'  I  see  it 
as  clear  as  daylight. 

I  am  so  thankful  that  my  poor  mother's  last  smile,  a 
startlingly  bright  and  sudden  one,  after  weeks  without  a 
smile,  was  turned  on  me  fully  and  consciously. 


{To .) 

ytine  1878. 

I  quite  agree  with  you  in  preferring  the  exact  Scrip- 
ture in  Isa.  liii.   6,  although  I  have  no  doubt  '  us  all ' 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  297 

means  *  the  Church  of  God.'  I  should  not  myself  have 
so  paraphrased  it,  but  as  I  was  quoting  Rainsford,  I 
thought  I  must  keep  to  him.  Had  it  been  a  new  MSS., 
I  might  have  asked  him  to  alter  it. 

But  I  do  not  agree  with  you  in  giving  verse  24  instead 
of  22  of  Gen.  v.  I  expect  it  never  struck  you  what  it 
implies.  '  Enoch  walked  with  God/  is  usually  quoted 
from  verse  24,  and  therefore  kept  in  connection  with, 
'  and  was  not,  for  God  took  him,'  as  if  walking  with 
God  were  rather  an  older-aged  experience,  approaching 
the  end.  But  do  not  you  see  how  teUing  it  is  to  take 
it  in  the  other  connection  ?  '  Enoch  walked  with  God 
three  hundred  years  ! '  nobody  quotes  that  !  and  if  he 
walked  with  God  three  hundred  years,  may  not  we  walk 
with  Him  '  all  the  days  of  our  life  '  ?  It  was  Mr.  Snepp 
who  showed  it  me,  and  I  thought  it  such  a  find.  It  is 
but  the  difference  between  the  dismal  must  be  always 
sinning,  teaching,  and  the  brighter  hopes  I  laid  hold  of, 
but  which  are  an  old  story  to  you. 

By  the  bye,  it  is  '  Christ  our  example  of  trusty  not 
truth,'  that  has  long  been  a  favourite  thought  to  me,  and 
I  was  glad  to  see  Rainsford  bring  it  out.  I  think  we 
get  Christ  as  our  example  of  three  things  in  John  xvii. — 
I.  Of  coming  to  the  Father;  2.  Trust;  and  3.  Consecra- 
tion. 

Many  thanks  for  calling  my  attention  to  '  having  no 
part  dark.' 

I  have  never  dived  into  its  meaning,  but  am  greatly 
struck  with  it  now  you  mention  it 


298  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 


{To .) 

July  25,  1878. 

Here  is  your  programme.  Saturday  '  do '  Gloucester, 
reaching  Worcester  in  the  evening.  N.B. — Sit  on  the 
left,  for  view  of  Malvern.  Stay  Sunday  at  Worcester; 
hear  cathedral  bells,  about  the  finest  peal  in  England ; 
twelve  bells,  No.  lo.  is  exceptionally  rich.  The  only 
clergyman  I  know  is  Rev.  W.  Wright,  of  St.  Peter's, 
Evangelical.  At  cathedral,  ask  to  see  my  father's 
memorial  brass  (designed  by  brother  Frank)  in  an  arcade 
of  the  south-east  transept.  St.  Nicholas  was  his  own 
church  :  a  marble  tablet  to  my  sweet  mother  (Jane 
Havergal,  died  July  5,  1848),  and  a  memorial  brass  to 
my  father,  are  in  the  chancel. 

On  Monday,  leave  by  earliest  train  for  Bewdley  sta- 
tion ;  in  approaching  Bewdley,  sit  on  the  left,  and  you 
will  see  Winterdyne, — a  large  white  house  alone  among 
trees  on  the  height  of  the  ridge  of  rocks  above  the 
Severn.  Then  walk  up  to  Winterdyne,  where  you  are 
invited  to  breakfast,  and  will  be  welcomed  for  the 
Master's  sake.  You  will  get  there  a  little  before  nine — 
just  between  prayers  and  breakfast.  Mr.  Shaw,  my  dear 
brother-in-law,  will  show  you  his  beautiful  grounds,  and 
you  will  see  how  Bank  holiday  is  improved  there  !  If 
possible,  Mr.  S.  will  drive  you  on  to  my  sister's,  Mrs. 
Crane,  Oakhampton ;  but  it  is  a  heavily-engaged  day,  and 
I  have  told  them  that  on  emergency  you  can  walk  the 
four  miles.  Mrs.  C.  invites  you  to  dinner,  and  to  stay 
the  night.  Then  I  will  take  you  leisurely  to  Astley 
churchyard  in  the  evening.  If  you  cannot  stay  all 
night,  Mr.  C.'s  carriage  can  drive  us  to  the  churchyard, 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  299 

and  then  drive  you  on,  say  half-way,  to  Worcester  in  the 
cool  of  the  evening. 

I  hope  it  will  be  a  fine  day,  and  if  it  is,  I  shall  be 
very  glad  to  have  been  able  to  do  you  a  small  'good 
turn '  after  the  very  good  turn  you  have  done  me. 


{To  the  sa?ne.) 

Oakhampton,  Monday  A.M. 

The  coachman  is  to  take  you  round  by  Ribbesford 
Church  (unless  you  have  already  been  there  this  a.m.) — 
look  at  the  singular  nth  century  carving  over  the  porch, 
— an  old  Saxon  legend.     I  hope  the  rain  will  cease. 

There  are  some  visitors  at  W.,  whose  relatives  are  very 
*  high  '  and  rather  prejudiced  ;  tell  them  you  have  been 
to  Jerusalem,  and  hope  to  go  to  Gaza,  or  anything  in 
that  line,  and  perhaps  after  you  are  gone,  I  may  tell  them 
you  are  a  Wesleyan  after  all  !  that  they  may  see  some 
good  can  come  out  of  Nazareth  ! 

At  Winterdyne  there  is  no  treading  on  eggs, — a  real, 
wide,  hearty  '  grace  be  with  ail  them  that  love  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,'  even  as  I  say  it ! 

[F.  R.  H.'s  correspondent  says :  '  This  little  note  was 
neatly  done  up  with  her  peculiar  beauty  as  she  wrote  it  in 
the  early  morning  at  Oakhampton,  and  drove  over  herself 
with  it  to  Winterdyne,  and  put  it  into  my  hand.  And 
on  the  afternoon  of  that  day,  F.  R.  H.  drove  with  me 
to  Astley  churchyard,  and  showed  me  her  father's  grave 
(now  her  own) — that  time  will  always  live  in  my  memory, 
in  whatever  part  of  the  world  my  lot  may  be.'] 


300  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

August  8,  1878. 
Mr.  L.  came  Monday,  was  delighted  and  grateful — 
writes  that  '  if  you  did  not  build  the  Palace  Beautiful, 
at  least  you  showed  it  to  the  Pilgrim,  and  once  more  he 
thanks  you  for  pleasure  which  grows  with  keeping.' 
Neat  !  Results  of  my  going  to  W.  to  fetch  him  was 
that  Ellen  saw  with  me  how  papa's  parish  was  being 
cared  for,  and  his  own  grandsons  left  out  in  the  cold  ! 
W  and  A.  came  the  same  afternoon  to  fetch  their 
cousins,  and  the  upshot  is,  they  stay  till  Saturday,  and 
are  at  the  tent  every  night  !  I  had  the  waggonette,  and 
took  the  servants  last  night — capital — tent  nearly  full — 
probably  500 — but  shoals  were  listening  in  the  dark 
outside  !  The  evangelist  Cauker,  very  nice  on  Isa. 
lix.  2,  on  '  separated,'  but  now  '  put  away.'  Giles  got 
up  after,  and  spoke  for  two  minutes  most  beautifully 
— set  to  his  seal — told  of  his  own  experience — '  God 
says  it — I  believe  it — that's  enough  for  me  ! '  Then 
Thomas  Wales,  from  the  Evangelization  Society,  on 
'  The  Master  is  come  and  calleth  for  thee.'  I  never 
heard  such  an  enormous  voice — can  be  heard  on  the 
bridge  just  as  well  as  in  the  tent,  and  all  up  Load 
Street — a  man  one  instinctively  honours  and  loves  on 
the  spot  for  the  Master's  sake.  I  took  the  harmonium 
— Frances  was  quite  leading  the  singing — good  thing  for 
younger  ones  to  be  thrown  on  their  own  resources — '  put 
out  to  swim  ! '  Alice  so  sweet  and  hearty,  and  in  it  all. 
W.  and  A.  had  been  canvassing  Sandy  Bank  and  Wyre 
Hill  all  the  morning  !  and  had  the  management  of  seats, 
hymn-books,  tent  ropes,  etc.  Twins  at  it  too.  Nellie 
looked  radiant  I  Well  she  might,  all  her  children  heart 
and  soul  in  such  work,  and  with  her  nephews  too  ! 


LETTERS,  1 876-1 879.  301 


I  must  not  refuse  my  friend's  entreaty  to  send  the 
enclosed  request  on  to   you.      The   letter  will  explain 

itself.     Many,  many  thanks  for  prayer  for  .     Well, 

now  I  think  you  may  praise !  I  have  had  no  chance  of 
gauging  the  work  myself,  and  do  not  know  why  I  am 
not  feehng  so  confidently  exultant  as  I  might  be  over  the 
account  of  them.  I  do  not  know  whether  it  is  only 
want  of  faith  by  looking  on  to  all  the  ritualistic  hindrances 
which  they  are  returning  into,  and  which  must  choke  the 
Word  except  by  most  special  grace, — or  whether  it  is  that 

the  work  is  less  deep  than  the 's  hope.     Anyhow,  it 

is  no  small  thing  to  thank  God  for  that  they  have  had 
that  week,  and  have  intelligently  heard  the  truth  as  it  is 
in  Jesus,  and  have  most  certainly  and  evidently  liked  it, 
if  no  more  ! 

Now  I   am  with  .      They   are  exemplary   to  a 

degree,  but  I  saw  collision  must  come,  and  it  came  an 
hour  ago.     We  were  singing  that  hymn, — 

*  Christian,  dost  thou  see  them 
On  the  holy  ground  ? 

Smite  them  by  the  virtue 
Of  thy  Lenten  fast  ! ' 

Whereupon  of  course  I  '  struck ' !  stopped,  and  would 
not  sing  it,  and  said,  '  No,  no  ! — no  victory  that  way — 
they  overcame  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,'  and  so  forth. 
Whereupon  they  argued  and  opposed  very  courteously, 
but  very  determinately.  So  you  see  the  sort  of  work  I 
now  have — much  more  difficult  than  if  they  were  not  so 
wrapped  up  in  their  blameless   conduct  and  fasts  and 


302  LETTE/^S,' iSje-iSjg. 

efforts.  Do  pray  for  them.  Oh,  if  my  visit  here  might 
but  be  a  blessing  !  I  am  so  tired  that  I  do  not  feel  as  if 
I  had  my  usual  energy,  or  could  rise  to  the  work. 


(To .) 

Not  a  drop  of  any  special  blessing  here  till  to-day, 
and  now — who,  though  converted,  has  often  caused  me 
anxiety  from  lack  of  consecration,  has  given  herself  over 
wholly  (with  her  fine  voice  and  musical  talent).  A  real 
blessing — but  when  the  ice  once  thus  breaks,  it  is  seldom 

only  for  one — and  I  am  intensely  longing  for  to 

be  touched.  Somehow  I  have  watched  in  vain  as  yet, 
never  can  catch  him  alone,  and  conversation  in  the 
presence  of  others  is  no  use.  I  have  just  been  praying 
for  him  with  two  of  the  others.  I  leave  on  Tuesday,  so 
time  is  shortening — not  even  a  beginning  made  yet — 
oh,  if  God  would  but  call  him  and  rouse  him.     So  the 

one  who  is  rejoicing  to-day  is  great  gain,  but  is 

out  in  the  cold.  To-day's  blessing  makes  me  treble 
my  fervour  for  him.  Jesus  has  passed  by  to-day,  and 
surely  He  will  be  gracious  to  one  more  ?  I  got  hold  of 
a  most  interesting  case  at  a  garden  party  two  days  ago 
(where  I  had  a  series  of  bits  of  direct  work  all  the  time), 
and  am  just  off  to  get  another  interview  with  her  by  her 
own  wish.     But  oh  for  my  bright  lad ! 

They  have  dessert  here  on   Sunday  afternoon,  after 

they  return  from  Sunday-school  teaching;   so took 

the  opportunity  of  calling  for  '  order  ! '  and  took  me  by 
surprise  by  making  a  regular  little  speech  in  the  name 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  303 

of  his  brothers  and  sisters — so  very  prettily  done,  thanks 
and  gratitude,  etc.,  and  affectionate  welcome  and  thank- 
fulness to  have  me  with  them  at  last.  You  cannot  think 
how  nicely  he  did  it,  and  of  course  it  was  vehemently 
applauded,  and  there  was  a  general  uproar  of  affectionate 
fuss  I 


{To  Margaret  W) 

August  15,  1878. 

I  can't  possibly  advise  noii\ — being  no  longer  on  the 
spot.     ''His  Name  shall  be  called,  Counsellor.' 

I  have  just  sent  off  my  Ahnanack  to  Mr.  Bullock, — sub- 
ject for  this  year  is  '  The  Words  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ' 
(i  Tim.  vi.  5) ;  365  texts  spoken  by  His  own  '  gracious ' 
lips — somehow  I  do  think  this  will  have  power  and  be 
much  blessed.  I  have  grouped  into  a  little  piece  (for  in- 
sertion) the  texts  which  show  why  He  spoke  them,  and 
what  we  may  expect  from  the  daily  feeding  on  this  fruit 
of  His  lips.  Edith  and  I  both  think  it  would  be  so  nice 
if  the  future  Reports  contained  a  blank  page  headed 
*  Questions,'  especially  if  it  is  to  be  more  especially  an 
'Isolated  Members'  Branch.'  Many  would  insert  a 
'question,'  who  would  not  venture  on  a  'remark,'  and 
these  would  elicit  answers.  Just  as  the  '  Corner  for 
Difficulties '  is  to  me  usually  the  most  interesting  part  of 
Wouian's  Work!  Put  a  little  word  about  it  to  begin 
with — inviting  members  to  ask  any  '  question '  which 
occurs  to  them  in  the  course  of  studying  the  subject. 
Edith  is  eager  for  this,  and  thinks  she  would  always 
have  a  'question,'  though  she  could  not  venture  on  a 


304  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 


*  remark ' !     Do  try  it.     I  think  it  would  be  a  practically 
valuable  feature  of  the  new  series. 

Does  not  your  brother  want  old  gold  and  silver  for 
his  tabernacle  things  ?  I  enclose  two  bits  to  throw  in, 
if  so.  I  found  them  in  clearing  out.  I  have  shipped  off 
all  my  jewellery  to  the  C.  M.  S.,  chain  and  all,  so  of 
course  I  never  enjoyed  packing  a  box  so  much.  Fifty- 
three  articles  !  But  I  have  reserved  my  portrait  brooch 
of  dear  Papa  for  daily  wear,  and  Evelyn's  portrait  locket. 
I  really  only  want  one  brooch. 


{To  the  late  Miss  Esther  Beamish.) 

Mumbles,  1878. 
It  seems  like  standing  afar  off,  beholding  with  solemn 
and  fresh  sense  of  the  reality  of  the  things  unseen,  as  you 
tell  me  of  this  strange  '  trial.'  No,  I  never  had  that  sort 
of  sifting, — it  seems  to  me,  however,  all  a  token  for  good. 
First,  that  it  is  a  case  of  'The  strong  He'll  strongly  try.' 
Such  honour  have  not  all  His  saints.  Satan  allowed  to 
try  His  hardest,  and  defeated !  Then  surely  it  is  a 
prelude  to  special  blessing  of  some  sort.  When  the 
devil  has  had  his  turn,  then  I  think  Jesus  is  sure  to  have 

His  !     He  does  not  speak  to  me  like  He  does  to ; 

yet  I  think  it  is  from  Him  that  words  have  kept  coming 
to  me  about  it,  '  He  shall  appear  to  your  joy.'  Then  in 
connection  with  this  comes  i  Pet.  i.  7,  taking  the 
appearing  as  a  present  one.  Just  think  of  this  trial  of 
your  faith  being  precious  to  Jesus,  dear  friend ;  for  of 
course  it  means  what  it  says.  I  know  sadly  plenty  about 
times  when  I  cannot  pray,  but  do  not  get  the  fiery  darts 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  305 

you  tell  of;  I  expect  it  is  that  Satan  thinks  I  am  not 
worth  them,  and  God  knows  I  am  too  weak  to  stand 
them ;  for  oh,  if  you  only  knew  how  really  far  behind  I 
am — my  feeling  always  is  that  I  can  hardly  keep  you 

and in  sight  at  all !     I  ought  to  be  much  further  on 

with  all  the  discipline  I  have  had. 

I  could  7iot  write  to  you  this  a.m.  somehow,  and  now 
it's  late,  and  Maria  will  be  anxious  if  she  hears  the  type- 
writer going,  so  I  finish  this  in  pencil ! 


Thanks  for  Lord  Radstock's  speech,  which  is  very 
interesting.  But  I  cannot  think  the  Lord  would  have 
made  such  wonderful  provision  of  medicine  and  means 
for  our  use,  if  He  did  not  both  intend  and  sanction  the 
use  of  them.  And  I  do  not  see  in  the  least  why  there 
may  not  be  just  as  perfect  and  God-honouring  trust 
while  accepting  and  using  them  as  His  means,  and  doctors 
as  His  exponents  of  means,  as  when  refusing  them.  It 
is  a  dangerous  principle  to  admit,  or  at  once  it  may  be 
followed  by  queries  as  to  using  means  of  grace  !  as  the 
same  arguments  or  seeming  arguments  apply  to  that. 


The  Mumbles,  October  7,  1878. 

Oh  M.,  it  is  such  gracious  leading  to  have  been  guided 
here,  just  the  place  !  Maria  has  been  so  ill  nearly  all 
the  lime  in  Switzerland,  and  looks  fearfully  bad — it  will 
be  a  long  time  ere  she  regains  tone  and  sleep,  etc. ;  she 
has  never  had  what  other  folks  would  call  sleep  since 


3o6  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

that  terrible  time  in  May.  So  thankful  to  be  here.  I  am 
very  tired — could  not  have  gone  on  much  longer  visiting 
— am  weary  to  death  of  lionessmg!  Yet  have  had  no 
end  to  be  thankful  for — only  so  overdone.  I  hardly 
ever  had  a  text  more  sweetly  and  powerfully  given  me 
than  Ex.  xv.  13  on  Sunday  week.  Hope  Association 
affairs  all  subsided  and  settled.  We  are  in  the  midst  of 
carpets  and  curtains  and  suchlike  gear — settling  in  takes 
time  and  strength  !  I  suppose  I  shall  get  rested  some 
time  !    Anyhow,  there  is  heaven  to  come  ! 


Mumbles,  October  1878. 

...  I  must  send  a  line  to  tell  you  I  have  had  a 
very  happy  time.      The  Lord   'dealt  wondrously,'  and 

caused   to    throw   herself    (metaphorically)    right 

into  my  arms,  not  waiting  for  me  to  open  fire  !  Con- 
scious that  the  Lord  has  given  me  something  which 
she,  as  yet,  has  not  got  and  is  groping  for.  Of  course 
I  did  not  mince  matters  —  full  consecration  is  the 
point.  How  many  know  and  love  Jesus,  and  yet  are 
not  '  all '  and  '  07ily '  for  Him,  and  they  cannot  see  that 
He  is  able  to  keep  them  from  stumbling,  so  the  goal  is 
not  reached. 

I  do  think  we  Church  of  England  are  more  conscien- 
tious about  Sunday  post  than  Nonconformists  generally. 

Those  excellent  had  their  letters,  to  my  grief,  on 

Sunday.  So  I  was  delighted  in  another  house  to  see  a 
notice  on  the  post  box  in  the  hall,  with  the  post  times, 
and  'No  delivery  or  despatch  on  Sundays.'  ''No  manner 
of  work''  must  include  postal  delivery,  and  it  is  not  right 
to  ignore  God's  commands. 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  307 

I  have  met  '  B.  M. ' !  Never  felt  more  interested  in 
any  one  yet,  and  never  met  any  one  yet  who  just  knew 
and  understood  all  my  special  mental  and  poetic  experi- 
ences in  thinking  and  writing ;  and  as  she  is  the  only 
7-eal  poetess  I  ever  met,  I  am  beginning  to  fancy  I  must 
be  a  bit  of  one  too. 


{To  G.  S.  P,) 

October  10,  1878. 

'  All  right '  did  not  include  the  picture — that  arrived 
two  days  ago,  to  my  great  delight;  it  was  just  in  time 
for  it  to  be  rightly  placed :  I  was  just  going  to  arrange 
my  pictures.  My  especial  favourite  is  a  large  engraving 
of  '  The  Martyrs  in  Prison  :  Cranmer,  Ridley,  Latimer, 
and  Bradford,' — a  saintly  picture  linked  with  my  earHest 
good  memories,  and  it  was  my  father's  :  so  this  is  centre 
of  the  best  piece  of  wall  in  my  little  study.  Your 
Spanish  prison  view  hangs  most  curiously  appropriate 
on  one  side  of  it,  so  you  could  not  be  in  better 
company. 

As  to  Never  say  Die^  I  do  not  much  wonder  you 
shirked  it !  for  a  more  puzzling  little  editorial  work  I 
never  undertook !  I  cannot  decide  till  I  have  gone 
twice  through  at  least,  how  to  chapterize  it !  But,  dear 
friend,  time  spent  on  it  is  overpaid, — it  brings  to  me  all 
the  sweetness  and  freshness  of  the  old,  old  story  as 
nothing  else  ever  did ;  I  keep  reading  it  all  for  myself. 

Two  or  three  evenings  ago  my  sister  Maria  and  I  went 
out  to  see  a  superb  sunset  just  beginning.  I  gave  her 
N.  s.  D.  just  before,  and  she  had  it  in  her  hand.  In 
1  Nrocr  say  Die.     S.  G.  P.     Nisbet  &  Co. 


3o8  LETTERS,  1876- 1879. 

about  half  an  hour  I  came  back,  having  gone  a  little  way 
on — the  sunset  was  over,  and  she  had  forgotten  all  about 
it,  never  saw  it  at  all !  She  is  so  peculiarly  alive  to 
natural  beauty,  that  I  could  not  have  believed  any  book 
could  have  so  '  riveted  '  her,  as  she  herself  said.  I  am 
glad  she  so  endorses  my  deliberate  convictions,  for  she 
is  very  independent  as  well  as  decided  in  her  judgment; 
and  she  has  far  more  experience  than  I  have  among 
poor  people,  so  it  is  worth  a  good  deal.  We  agree  that 
it  is  exceptional,  and  in  fact  unique,  and  that  we  know 
nothing  in  the  evangelistic  line  to  equal  it.  When  I 
have  done  putting  it  straight  for  press,  I  will  write  again, 
and  shall  also  tell  Nisbet  what  M.  says  !  A  good  proof 
of  her  sincerity  as  to  its  real  value  as  work  for  God  is, 
that  she  is  ready  to  anathematize  anybody  and  every- 
body who  gives  me  anytJiing  to  do  at  present,  and  wants 
me  to  send  everybody's  else  little  requests  straight  back 
with  a  refusing  P.C.,  but  is  'quite  agreeable'  to  my 
giving  my  mind  to  N,  s.  D. 

Yes,  I  do  trust  that  you  may  have,  or  rather  that  the 
Master  may  have,  a  very  harvest  of  souls  from  its 
circulation. 


{To  the  late  C.  H,  Piirday) 

The  Mumbles,  October  14,  1878. 

Your  note  has  touched  and  interested  me  most  deeply. 
'  Heart  answereth  to  heart.'  I  do  trust  that  ere  now  you 
are  still  further  on  the  way  to  recovery.  Yet  there  is,  I 
know^  so  much  real  blessing  in  the  touch  of  our  Lord's 
hand,  even  when  we  have  to  say,  '  Thy  hand  presseth  me 


LETTERS,  1 876- 1 879.  309 

sore,'  that  somehow,  ever  since  a  very  long  and  suffering 
illness  of  my  own,  I  have  hardly  been  able  to  say 
sincerely  to  any  really  Christian  friend,  '  I  am  sorry  you 
have  been  ill.'  And  the  '  afterward '  is  surely  promised. 
Every  time  of  calling  apart  leads  us  to  know  and  under- 
stand a  little  better  '  Him  with  whom  we  have  to  do.' 
How  much  these  words  imply  !  .  .  . 

I  am  so  glad  you  like  my  Royal  Commandments^ 
though  I  should  not  have  expected  you  to  like  it  so  well 
as  Royal  Bounty.  Mr.  Snepp  is  charmed  with  your  tune 
to  '  Yes,  He  knows  the  way  is  dreary,'  and  would  be  very 
glad  to  include  it  in  his  new  edition. 

Possibly  the  enclosed  tiny  books  may  give  you  some 
pleasant  thought — I  shall  be  so  thankful  if  they  do. 
{Precious  Things,  and  I  also  for  Thee.) 


{To  the  same.) 

Mumbles,  October  30,  1878. 
...  T  am  so  glad  to  hear  you  are  raised  up  again. 
It  is  curious  that  in  the  night  I  was  thinking  so  much 
of  the  promise,  *Thou  shalt  glorify  Me,'  specially  in 
its  connection  as  following  deliverance  from  trouble 
(Ps.  1.  15).  And  then  your  letter  came  in  the  morning, 
speaking  of  your  desire  to  do  something  for  His  glory ! 
Whatever  He  has  promised,  surely  we  may  and  should 
claim  and  expect,  however  much  better  and  greater  it 
may  be  than  we  should  have  thought  of  asking.  Oh  yes, 
if  one  may  but  do  anything  for  Him  '  who  loved  us  and 
washed  us  from  our  sins  in  His  own  blood,'  it  is  worth 
coming  back  from  the  very  golden  gates  to  do  it.     If  He 


310  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

has  made  us  for  His  glory  He  will  surely  '  be  glorified 
in  us.'  That  He  will  even  7iow^  and  there  is  2  Thess.  i.  10 
to  come  !     It  is  so  wonderful. 


{To .) 

December  19,  1878. 

.  .  .  Yes,  I  have  noticed  the  text  you  send ;  it  is  most 
solemn  and  striking.  But  because  I  happen  to  have  got 
this  one,  please  do  not  hesitate  always  to  tell  me  of  any 
that  strike  you  as  *" fields ' — I  am  always  glad  and  grateful 
to  have  a  share  in  the  spoils  of  others,  and  sometimes 
even,  when  not  new  to  me,  it  brings  a  text  with  new 
force  or  freshness.  Christians  might  help  each  other  in 
this  way  far  more  than  they  do. 

I  must  send  a  line  to  say  how  delighted  I  am  that  the 
Church  Missionary  Society  has  taken  up  the  Gaza 
Mission,  which  I  had  already  heard  of.  You  need  not 
trust  (!)  'that  it  will  be  faithful  and  do  the  work  in  the 
proper  way!'  You  may  just  7'ejoice  that  it  will!  If 
there  is  faithfulness  and  soundness  to  be  had  in  the 
Church  on  earth  at  all,  it  is  in  the  C.  M.  S. — the 
grandest  and  most  uncompromising  of  all  evangelical 
societies — except  that  one  may  bracket  the  Bible  Society 
with  it.  Not  one  touch  of  any  evil  leaven  has  been 
permitted  by  God's  great  mercy  to  enter  it  from  any  side. 
Just  go^  and  you  will  find  all  I  have  said  true,  and  you 
will  be  under  the  best  and  safest  auspices  any  human 
organization  can  furnish.     God  speed  you  I 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  311 

{To  the  late  C.  H.  Ptirday.) 

December -yo^  1878. 

I  have  been  on  the  shelf,  or  should  have  replied 
sooner.  And  now  the  few  days'  illness  has  thrown  me 
all  behind  with  letters  and  work,  so  pardon  haste.  The 
only  tune  I  do  not  like,  and  cannot  possibly  sanction,  in 
your  Songs  of  Peace  and  Joy^  is  the  setting  of  my  Con- 
secration hymn,  'Take  my  life,'  to  that  wearisomely 
hackneyed  kyrie  of  Mozart.  It  does  not  suit  the  words 
either,  and  I  was  much  vexed  with  Mr.  Mountain  for 
printing  it  with  it  in  his  Hymns  of  Consecration^  and  it 
would  just  spoil  your  book  to  let  it  pass.  \  particularly 
ivish  that  hymn  kept  to  my  dear  father's  sweet  little  tune, 
'  Patmos,'  which  suits  it  perfectly.  So  please  substitute 
that,  and  your  book  will  be  the  gainer.  You  have  rather 
taken  the  wind  out  of  my  own  sails  by  your  book,  as 
Hutchings  &  Romer  have  for  a  good  while  wanted  me 
to  set  Loyal  Responses  to  music  (now  published  by  them)  • 
but  I  have  so  many  irons  in  the  fire,  that  I  can  barely 
find  time  to  heat  a  musical  one.  However,  I  could  not 
find  it  in  my  heart  to  hinder  you  in  your  wish,  with 
which  my  whole  heart  sympathizes,  to  do  this  thing  for 
God's  glory.  I  do  so  very  much  like  many  of  your 
tunes. 

'Therefore,  being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace 
with  God.'  Dear  friend,  why  say,  '  May  that  peace  be 
mine,'  when  it  is  yours  already,  purchased  for  you,  made 
for  you,  sealed  for  you,  pledged  to  you — by  the  word  of 
the  Father  and  the  *  precious  blood  of  Jesus ' !  Forgive 
me  for  touching  up  your  words,  but  I  have  recalled  them 
so  many  times  since  you  wrote. 


LETTERS,  1876-1879. 


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Take  my  mo-ments  and  my  days,    Let  them  flow  in  cease-less  praise.    A  -  men. 


{To  M.  V.  G.  H.) 

The  ParaCxON,  Blackheath, 
February  7,  1879. 

Send  by  return  of  post  our  dear  father's  words,  *  God 
save  our  widowed  Queen,'  which  he  arranged  in  the 
minor  key.  Mr.  Bullock  is  bringing  out  a  capital  little 
book  about  our  Royal  Family,  and  would  like  to 
insert  it. 

I  have  been  photographed !  Mr.  Elliot  himself  came 
for  me,  Saturday,  and  they  tried  eight  times,  and  hope 
one  will  do !  Elliot  and  Fry  both  superintended  in 
person ;  such  a  fuss  !  And  I  forgot  to  put  on  tidy  frill 
and  cuffs  ! 

I  hope  you  and  Ellen  will  not  go  saving  the  fur  things 
I  send — will  disappoint  me  entirely  if  you  don't  wear 
them  for  garden. 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  313 

{Memorandum. — My  sister  F.  had  intended  buying  a 
sealskin  jacket  for  herself,  instead  of  which  she  bought 
these  fur  cloaks  for  her  sisters  !) 

IMr.  and  Mrs.  Bullock  ever  so  kind  and  pleased  to 
have  me  here — she  is  such  a  nice  friend. 

Febrtiary  12. 

Will  Miriam  undertake  to  write  out  some  biographical 
notice  of  our  dear  father  for  the  Dictmiary  of  Musicians! 
You  see  I  have  barely  three  months  to  do  my  new  books 
for  next  season,  and  cannot  do  the  odds  and  ends  that 
pour  in. 

Interesting  lecture  last  night  by  the  Rev.  H.  Lansdell 
on  a  Bible- scattering  scamper  to  Archangel,  etc.  25,000 
'  portions '  and  tracts  given !  Proceeds  of  lecture  to 
Irish  Church  Missions. 

I  called  at  the  Church  Missionary  House — Mr. 
Eugene  Stock  most  delightful ! 

Glad  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of  making  friends 
personally  with  my  publishers.  Dear  Mr.  Watson  is  still 
so  ill,  but  he  came  down  in  the  evening  and  seemed 
cheered  with  talk  and  music,  asking  me  to  play  again 
Beethoven's  Moonlight  Sonata  for  Mr.  Robertson.  Mr. 
Watson  is  almost,  if  not  quite,  as  heavenly  as  Giles  ! 
His  prayers  most  beautiful,  and  lovely  grace  before  meat. 
He  will  not  live  long,  I  am  sure,  so  feeble  and  so  ripe. 
He  gives  me  plenty  of  good  advice — I  do  love  him,  he 
is  so  fatherly.  His  partner,  Mr.  Robertson,  a  pleasant 
Christian — much  younger  and  very  energetic.  I  think 
he  took  a  liking  to  me,  which  is  important,  as  I  may 
have  all  book  business  to  do  with  him  in  future  years. 

Mr.    Hutchings   was    quite   struck   with    '  Loving   all 


314  LETTERS,  1876- 1879. 

along'  {G.  S.  F.).  Dr.  Waugh  accepts  his  verses  for 
{The  Sunday  Magazine)  '  Abercane,'  and  calls  it  'splendid 
poetry.'  Mr.  Watson  read  them  out  one  night  mag- 
nificently ! 


(To  M,  V.  G.  H,) 

Charing  Cross  Hotel, 
February  17,  1879. 

Singular  and  sad  instance  of  not  knowing  what  a  day 
may  bring  forth !  Case  of  small-pox,  and  poor  dear  Mr. 
B,  so  overwhelmed.  Doctor  ordered  the  house  cleared 
at  once.  I  saw  my  way  in  an  instant — not  right  to  go  to 
any  friend's  house,  and  so  shall  give  up  my  invitation  to 
Mr.  S.  Blackwood's.  It  seemed  horrid  to  come  away  from 
the  dear  B.'s  in  their  trouble,  but  I  could  do  no  good; 
and  though  I  have  not  a  vestige  of  fear  of  infection,  they 
were  eager  to  see  me  safe  out  of  it.  So  I  had  fire  in  a 
cosy  little  room  here  all  the  afternoon,  and  quiet  rest,  as 
I  could  not  venture  out  to  church,  my  cough  teazing  me. 
You  see  this  involved  onlv  one  bit  of  Sunday  travelling, 
and  I  leave  direct  for  Mumbles  by  express  this,  Monday, 
morning. 

Tell  dear  Giles  and  Ellen  they  need  not  be  afraid  of 
my  putting  my  neck  into  any  nooses.  I  am  much  too 
snug  at  the  Mumbles  ! 


{ToM,  V,  G.H.) 

Mumbles,  February  18,  1879. 
It  was  quite  delightful  getting  in  here  last  evening 
(from  my  sudden  flight  from   London  and  change  of 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  315 

plans),  although  you  had  not  returned.  It  felt  so  really 
coming  Jiome,  and  I  had  such  a  comfortable  journey. 
;Mary  helped  me  unpack,  and  it  was  delicious  to  be  all 
straight  the  same  night.  Oh,  the  sunshine  here  !  hot 
and  brilliant  in  my  study.  Such  a  pile  of  letters  this 
A.M.,  only  one  worth  sending  on  for  you  to  answer.  Mr. 
Shaw  will  be  amused  with  dear  Mr.  Wright's  explanation, 
which  of  course  I  answer.  When  I  called  at  the  Church 
Missionary  House,  I  thought  him  kind,  but  a  little  bit 
stiffer  than  I  expected ;  so  his  not  knowing  who  I  was, 
explains  it.  I  had  no  idea  he  did  not  know  me,  but  it 
seems  he  did  not  catch  the  name  from  Mr.  Eugene 
Stock,  and  as  he  says,  '  We  are  not  in  heaven  yet ! ' 

Elliot  &  Fry  will  send  you  proofs  of  my  photos. 
Remember  nothing  ever  will  induce  me  to  have  any  sort 
of  likeness-taking  again.  So  you  make  up  your  minds 
once  for  all !  Please  send  me  the  address  of  the  Church 
Pastoral  Aid  Society  and  the  secretary's  name,  as  now  I 
can  do  what  I  wanted. 


{To  M.  V.  G.  II.) 

Park  Villa,  Mumbles,  Fehniary  21,  1879. 

If  you  are  writing  to  E.  Clay,  please  give  her  my  love, 
and  I  shall  not  forget  to-morrow.  You  will  get  the 
photos,  to-day ;  I  was  wretchedly  poorly,  and  shivering 
with  cold  the  day  I  was  taken.  I  thought  I  looked  more 
of  a  lady,  which  these  certainly  do  not  give  me  the 
idea  of ! 

I  had   such  a  spree   last    night !      I  got   the   whole 


3i6  LETTERS,  1876- 1879. 

household  to  sign  my  Temperance  Pledge-book,  Tucker 
himself  down  to  little  Johnnie  !  and  Mary  F.  I  am  so 
delighted. 

I  did  so  want  to  send  to  the  Church  Pastoral  Aid 
Society,  but  I  don't  like  halving  things,  so  I  will  not  do 
that  \  but  to  please  dear  Giles,  I  will  postpone  my  gift  to 
C.  P.  A.  till  next  year,  and  send  to  the  Bible  Society 
instead,  so  he  may  reckon  that  is  his  getting  for  it ! 
Tell  Ellen  I  will  be  sure  and  take  care  of  number  one, 
and  that  I  have  not  found  Phil.  iv.  19  to  fail  yet,  and 
moreover  the  Lord  always  does  at  least  as  much,  and 
generally  more  than  He  promises,  so  she  need  not  be 
alarmed  as  to  my  future. 

I  have  set  really  to  work.  I  am  re-writing  part  of 
the  Kept  papers  :  the  first  chapter  is  quite  new ;  there 
was  so  much  to  say.  It  is  a  very  serious  thing  to  set 
about  work  which  goes  to  tens  of  thousands.  I  felt  I 
must  set  apart  a  day  entirely  for  prayer,  etc.,  which  I 
did  yesterday,  instead  of  setting  to  work,  and  I  do  not 
think  it  was  time  lost. 

I  found  old  Mrs.  Phillips  sitting  up,  and  no  end 
delighted  to  see  me  back.  A  dear  little  girl  died 
yesterday  in  the  village  from  heart  disease,  the  sister 
of  that  lovely  little  heathen  who  comes  to  me  for 
books.  The  little  dead  child  looked  so  exquisitely 
beautiful. 

Snow  here  the  last  three  mornings,  but  it  melts,  and 
as  usual  brilliant  sun,  when  not  actually  snowing.  My 
cough  is  less,  and  I  feel  much  better  than  before  I  went 
to  London.  Mary  is  most  devoted,  and  it  will  be  an 
immense  addition  to  my  comfort  to  make  her  save  my 
eyes ;  as  finer  weather  and  longer  days  come  on,  I  shall 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  317 

try  to  be  out  of  doors  as  much  as  I  possibly  can,  so 
as  to  be  fresher  for  real  work  at  my  desk. 

I  have  just  sent  ;£"ioo  towards  clearing 's  premium  ; 

I  do  want  that  millstone  cleared  off,  and  then  I  can  easily 
do  more  next  year.  It  is  so  tremendously  nice  earning 
money  to  give  away  j  I  had  no  idea  it  was  such  fun ! 


{Post  Card.) 

March  29,  1879. 

I  know  it  is  fanciful,  and  not  the  real  meaning,  but  I 
like  applying  verse  8  of  Ezek.  x.,  '  The  form  of  a  man's 
hand  under  their  wings,'  to  the  thought  of  the  Divine 
wings  and  hand.  '  Under  the  shadow  of  His  wings,' 
there  is  still  closer  the  form  of  a  Man's  hand — the 
pierced  Hand.  Perhaps  pressing  sore,  but  certainly 
encircling  and  holding  fast.  Or  again,  taking  the 
cherubim  in  their,  I  suppose,  real  meaning,  as  the 
Church  of  God,  while  the  sound  of  their  wings  (ver.  5) 
is  'heard  even  to  the  outer  court'  (cf.  Rom.  x.  18),  the 
Man's  hand,  'Christ  the  Power  of  God'  (i  Cor.  i.  24) 
is  under  them  as  they  'run  and  return'  (ch.  i.  14), 
not  their  hand,  but  'Thy right  hand'  (Ps.  xliv.  3),  'work- 
ing with  them  '  (Mark  xvi.  30).  Do  )'0U  like  this  thought  ? 
I  have  only  this  minute  hit  on  it. 


The  Mumbles,  April  2,  1879. 
My  dear  Collectors, — God  has  given   us  one  of 
the  most  splendid  answers  to  prayer  I  ever  knew.     He 


3i8  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

has  prospered  our  Bruey  Branch  ever  so  much  beyond 
what  /  asked  or  thought,  and  so,  maybe,  it  is  beyond 
what  you  asked  or  thought  either.  So  those  of  us  who 
have  been  faithfully  remembering  to  pray  for  our  work 
on  Monday  mornings,  may  have  the  joy  of  hearty 
thanksgiving  for  answered  prayer;  and  if  those  who 
have  been  forgetting  all  about  it  will  nevertheless  join 
in  thanking  Him  for  doing  what  they  did  not  ask,  I 
think  they  will  be  glad  to  join  in  our  prayers  after 
this. 

Two  years  ago  we  started  with  eight  collectors,  and 
sent  up  ;^2o,  9s.  id. ;  last  year  we  had  eighteen  col- 
lectors, and  sent  up  ;^4i,  9s.  3d. ;  and  this  year  we 
have  seventy-eight  collectors,  and  have  sent  up  ;£"io8, 
19s.  id.!  Is  not  this  grand?  And  this  is  not  nearly 
all.  Mr.  Roe,  one  of  the  Association  secretaries,  tells 
me  that  he  has  '  hundreds  of  cards  out,  and  is 
appointing  "Twig"  secretaries  in  all  directions,'  so 
that  dear  little  Bruey's  work  is  bearing  most  wonderful 
fruit,  and  it  looks  as  if  there  would  be  a  great  deal 
more  next  year  than  this.  We  have  five  'Twigs'  in 
the  Bruey  Branch,  besides  the  senior  and  junior  divi- 
sions ;  but  it  seems  we  shall  have  a  great  many  more 
soon. 

Now,  as  our  faithful  God  has  heard  our  poor  little 
prayers  so  far,  I  want  you  to  pray  still  more,  and  espe- 
cially that  He  would  not  only  help  us  in  our  collecting, 
but  that  He  would  send  a  very  great  spiritual  blessing 
on  the  work  done  in  Ireland  by  means  of  the  money 
collected.  Will  you  join  me  in  asking  four  things  ? 
I.  That  God  would  give  His  Holy  Spirit  to  all  the  Irish 
teachers  and   their  pupils.      2.  That   very   many   may. 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  319 


during  this  year,  seek  and  find  Jesus.  3.  That  those 
who  find  Him,  may  be  filled  with  love,  and  that  the  joy 
of  the  Lord  may  be  their  strength,  especially  in  bearing 
persecution  for  His  sake.  4.  That  ever>'  one  who  finds 
Christ,  may  begin  at  once  to  bring  others  to  Him.  1 
wish  you  would  just  copy  these  four  things  out,  and  put 
them  in  your  Bibles,  so  that  you  may  be  reminded  every 
Monday  morning  luhat  to  pray  for,  and  we  shall  see 
what  gracious  answers  God  will  give  us.  *  The  Lord 
hath  done  great  things  for  us,'  and  it  seems  as  if  He 
were  saying,  '  Thou  shalt  see  greater  things  than  these,' 
so  '  be  glad  and  rejoice,  for  the  Lord  will  do  great 
things.'  Find  these  three  texts  out,  and  mark  them  in 
your  Bibles. 

Now  for  some  business  remarks.  I  wish  you  would 
all  learn  to  be  business-like.  Some  of  you  did  every- 
thing right,  and  I  herewith  offer  my  best  thanks,  as 
secretary,  for  their  having  saved  me  a  good  deal  of 
trouble  by  doing  all  I  asked.  But  how  was  it  that  I 
had  to  write  to  seven  or  eight  of  you,  because  the  ist 
of  ^larch  went  by,  and  you  did  not  send  your  card  in  ? 
Some  of  you  even  then  kept  me  waiting,  and  thus  I 
was  defeated  in  a  very  nice  little  plan  I  had,  which  I 
meant  to  have  written  to  each  of  you  about,  to  reach 
you  on  St.  Patrick's  day,  March  17.  I  will  see  if  I  can 
do  it  next  year. 

Do  you  remember  my  asking  you  to  pray  for  a  dear 
little  girl  }  Her  mamma  writes  as  follows  : — '  I  enclose 
;^5,  our  darling  Nony's  collection  for  the  Irish  Society, 
and  which  in  all  probability  will  be  her  last,  as  the 
doctors  say  she  is  now  past  recovery,  and  that  it  is  only 
a  question  of  time.     What  an  unspeakable  comfort  and 


320  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

perfect  rest  it  gives  us  to  feel  that  our  tunes  are  in  His 
hand  whose  way  is  perfect !  so  that  we  cannot  for  one 
moment  wish  anything  otherwise  than  as  He  orders  it. 
The  work  sold  was  not  all  her  own  doing,  but  she 
worked  a  few  minutes  at  a  time  as  long  as  she  was  able. 
She  has  had  two  operations  during  the  last  month,  and 
has  a  large  wound  in  her  thigh.  Her  sufferings  have 
been  terrible,  but  I  have  never  heard  a  murmur.  It  was 
so  kind  of  you  to  ask  prayer  for  her,  and  seemed  to 
please  her  much.'  Please  remember  poor  dear  little 
Nony,  and  ask  the  Good  Shepherd  to  deal  very  tenderly 
with  His  little  suffering  lamb.  Surely  He  will  send  a 
special  blessing  on  her  work,  '  the  few  stitches '  done 
'  as  long  as  she  was  able.' 

I  am  sending  a  copy  of  the  February  number  of  Day 
of  Days  to  each  collector.  If  any  one  does  not  receive 
it,  please  let  me  know.  I  particularly  want  you  all  to 
take  the  little  magazine  in,  and  recommend  it  to  your 
subscribers — it  is  only  a  penny  a  month, — for  now  we 
have  arranged  to  have  something  about  the  Irish  work 
in  it  every  month,  so  that  all  collectors  and  contributors 
will  be  able  to  get  fresh  accounts,  besides  a  great  deal 
else  that  will  be  nice  to  read.  The  one  I  send  contains 
a  paper  called  Novel  Kitid  of  Schools.  The  March 
number  (which  I  do  hope  you  will  get)  has  been  called 

Ho7u  very  Irish  !     April  will  have Well,  you  get 

it,  and  see  what !  Next  June  I  hope,  please  God,  to  go 
to  Ireland  myself,  on  purpose  to  go  to  the  parts  where 
our  Society  is  at  work,  and  then  I  shall  write  all  about 
what  I  saw  and  heard,  and  have  it  printed  in  the  maga- 
zine, which  will  be  better  than  these  short  circulars,  and 
I  hope  much  more  interesting.     That's  another  thing  I 


LETTERS,  1876- 1879. 


want  you  to  pray  for  ;  ask  that  if  it  is  God's  vs-ill  I 
should  go  and  do  this,  I  may  be  both  blessed  and  made 
a  blessing  in  doing  it. 

And  now  I  will  give  you  a  text  for  your  next  year's 
work  :  '  Be  not  weary  in  well-doing.'  Perhaps  some  of 
you  are  a  little  bit  weary  in  it ;  some  have  owned  that 
they  are,  as  they  sent  up  a  card  not  quite  so  full  as  last 
year. 

However,  I  do  trust  the  loving  Saviour  will  lay  it 
on  their  hearts  with  enduring  power,  that  they  may 
work  for  Jesus'  sake  only,  and  not  get  weary  now  the 
novelty  has  worn  off.  This  is  just  what  I  pray  for 
every  one  of  you,  dear  ones,  whether  I  know  you 
personally  or  not.  To  that  loving  Saviour  I  commend 
you  and  your  work  for  the  coming  year. — Your  very 
affectionate  secretary, 

Frances  Ridley  Havergal. 

On  receiving  the  £^^  with  the  news  that  dear  Nony 
had  been  very,  very  ill  for  some  months,  my  dear  sister 
sent  her  this  sweet  little  note  : — 

My  dear  Nony,^ — I  had  no  idea  you  were  suffering 
so  much  all  this  time.  I  think  Jesus  must  have  been 
carrying  you  in  His  arms  all  the  while,  because  you  see 
when  anybody  can't  even  walk,  they  must  be  carried. 
And  I  am  quite  sure  He  must  be  loving  you  ever  so 
much  ;  I  mean  with  a  very  special  and  tender  love, 
because  it  says,  '  Whom  the  Lord  loveth  He  chasteneth.' 
I  thank  you  so  much  for  the  violets.  I  have  such  a 
number  of  new  Bruey  collectors  that  I  hardly  know  how 

^  See  Memorials  of  Little  Nony,     Nisbet  &  Co. 
X 


322  LETTERS,  1S76-1879. 

I  shall  manage  them  all.  We  shall  have  a  famous  report 
for  next  year,  I  hope.  Very  much  love  from  your  loving 
friend. 


Mumbles,  Febniary  25,  1879. 

Yours  is  just  such  a  letter  as  it  is  real  self-denial  to 
me  not  to  sit  down  and  answer  seriatim.  I  resolutely 
take  only  a  P.  C,  because  I  have  set  myself  to  a  bit  of 
work  which  I  find  requires  very  careful  thought ;  and 
as  writing  tries  me,  I  am  going  to  write  post  cards  till 
it  is  done,  as  I  do  want  to  keep  fresh  and  free,  that  I 
may  give  my  best  to  the  Master  in  doing  it.  {Starlight 
through  the  Shadows). 

Very  much  obliged  for  the  books,  and  for  your  sister's 
charming  letter.  And  believe  me  that  my  full  sympathy 
followed  all  you  told  me ;  instead  of  answering  by  pen 
I  will,  God  helping  me,  answer  by  prayer  ! 

I  cannot  understand  how  any  Christian  can  stand  still 
and  sing  such  a  misrepresentation  of  His  service  as — 

*  If  I  find  Him,  if  I  follow, 

What  His  guerdon  here  ? 
Many  a  sorrow,  many  a  labour, 
Many  a  tear  ! ' 

Is  not  that  too  bad  ?  Do  we  not  know  it  to  be  unfair 
to  our  Lord  and  His  happy  seryice  ?  Where  does  Be 
say  that  is  *His  guerdon  here'?  Let  us  just  think  for 
our  service  what  He  does  say :  '  Work ;  for  I  am  with 
you,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.'  That  alone  is  the 
grandest,  richest,  sweetest  'guerdon  here'  that  any 
loving  heart  can  ask.     Now  for  another  promise,  which 


LETTERS,  1 876- 1 879.  323 

certainly  does  not  look  like  that  wretched  linking  of 
Mabour'  with  'many  a  sorrow,  and  many  a  tear.'  That  is 
what  the  old  Greek  hymn-writer  says.  But  God  says, 
*Mine  elect  shall  long  e7ijoy  the  work  of  their  hands.' 


Mumbles. 
.  .  .  The  one  thing  strongly  on  my  mind  to  say  to 
you  is.  Do  not  let  your  mind  dwell  at  all  on  any 
attentions  you  may  receive.  If  it  is  to  come  to  anything, 
your  thinking  about  it  will  not  make  any  difference ;  but 
if  it  is  not,  then  every  thought  you  have  spent  on  it  will 
have  to  be,  as  it  were,  unthought — you  will  be  preparing 
pain  and  disappointment  for  yourself  just  in  proportion 
to  how  much  you  have  allowed  yourself  to  dwell  on  this. 
I  know  well  enough  by  experience,  that  one  cannot  help 
it  of  one's  self,  but  I  do  know  also  what  power  our  Lord 
has  over  our  thoughts  when  committed  to  Him,  and  how 
wonderfully  He  can  make  a  way  of  escape  for  us.     See, 

dear  ,  I  want  you  first  thing  to  go  and   lay  the 

matter  very  simply  before  the  Lord.  Tell  Him  all  that 
is  in  your  heart,  every  bit  of  it.  And  then  ask  Him  to 
undertake  for  you.  Ask  your  King  just  to  order  every- 
thing if  it  is  His  will,  and  to  keep  you  very  calm  till  His 
will  is  clearly  shown,  and  very  willing  that  He  should 
take  His  own  way  with  you  and  with  your  future  life. 
But  ask  the  Lord,  if  it  is  not  His  will  you  should  marry, 
to  make  you  perfectly  content,  and  then  to  take  aivay  all 
the  wish  out  of  your  heart,  so  that  you  may  be  '  free  to 
serve '  with  your  whole  mind  undistracted  by  it.  And 
then  ask  Him,  in  His  great  kindness,  that  He  would 
interpose  in  some  way  to  make  this  easy  to  you.  He  has 


324  LETTERS,  1S76-1879. 

such  wonderful  ways !  I  think  this  is  very  important, 
for  I  am  sure  one  does  not  serve  quite  so  freely  and  fully 
when  one  has  possibilities  of  marriage  in  suspense.  Of 
course  I  have  gone  through  all  this  years  ago,  and  even 
just  now  have  had  to  say  'No,'  though  to  a  decided 
Christian,  being  perfectly  clear  it  was  right  to  say  so ;  I 
need  hardly  tell  you  I  shall,  God  helping  me,  pray  about  it 
for  you.  I  will  ask  that  if  it  is  God's  will  you  may  not  be 
kept  in  any  suspense,  whichever  way  it  is.  I  should  so 
like  you  to  have  the  happiness  of  human  love  and  care 
for  you ;  it  would  make  me  extremely  happy,  if  it  does 
turn  out  to  be  a  real  and  right  step.  But  you  are  in  the 
hands  of  your  own  dear  Master,  and  He  will  do  the  best 
thing  for  you,  I  have  no  doubt  of  that ! 


{Memorandum  by  M.  V.  G,  H,) 

March  20,  1879. 

*H.  converted  and  O.  P.  consecrated.'  This  extract 
shall  be  briefly  explained. 

F.  R.  H.  had  promised  to  take  most  needed  rest  from  her 
desk-work  on  the  breezy  cliffs  that  afternoon.  The  hour 
passed  by,  and  still  her  door  was  shut.  Then  she  came, 
beaming  of  course  :  '  Marie,  I've  had  such  a  tussel  with 
Satan  !  I  had  my  hat  on  and  was  going  to  the  cliffs 
with  you  when  I  saw  O.  P.  on  a  ladder  painting  my 
study  windows.  I  was  so  tired,  that  it  was  quite  a  battle 
to  talk  to  him  then^  but  I  threw  the  window  open  to  ask 
how  he  was  getting  on.  Directly  he  said,  "O,  Miss 
Frances,  I've  been  longing  for  weeks  for  a  chance  to 
speak   to   you."     Then  came   such  an  outpour  of  his 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  325 

desire  to  be  quite  out  and  out  on  the  Lord's  side ;  so  I 
saw  the  time  was  come,  as  I  expected  it  would  from 
our  last  conversation.  So  I  told  him  to  come  in 
through  the  window;  and  after  reading  and  prayer,  I 
asked  if  he  would  now^  in  his  own  words,  say  to  Jesus 
Himself,  "  Thou  art  my  King."  And  so  he  did,  so  fully 
and  really;  and  the  answer,  "I  will  be  Thy  King," 
seemed  to  fall  with  hushing  power  as  we  knelt.  And 
afterwards  he  told  me  how  differently  he  left  my  study 
than  when  he  came  in,  so  glad  that  Jesus  was  henceforth 
his  King  as  well  as  his  Saviour.  My  verse  seemed  just 
to  express  his  desire  : 

*  **  Reign  over  me,  Lord  Jesus  ! 

Oh  make  my  heart  Thy  throne  ; 
It  shall  be  Thine  for  ever, 
It  shall  be  Thine  alone  1 " ' 


i^Post  Card  to  Mrs.  Morgan^  Vicarage,  Swansea.) 

Good  Friday  N^ight. 
I  am  still  better,  and  though  of  course  not  myself 
yet,  I  hope  now  to  be  able  for  Thursday  (Y.  W.  C.  A. 
meeting).  Was  so  ill  Tuesday,  that  it  seemed  quite 
hopeless  to  think  of  it,  but  I  should  think  you  have 
been  praying  !  Should  have  been  so  sorry  to  disappoint 
you,  knowing  your  difficulties.  Do  pray  that  I  may 
have  a  real  message  to  some. 


Monday,  April  14,  1S79. 

Dearest  Mrs.    Morgan,— God    has   been   so   very 
gracious  in  making  me  better  so  very  much  quicker  than 


326  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

usual  after  such  a  turn,  so  it  is  all  right  for  Tuesday  as 
far  as  that  is  concerned.  I  took  a  sort  of  turn  and  got 
rapidly  better  just  after  my  first  note  went — but  I  was  so 
ill  when  I  wrote  it,  that  judging  from  previous  experiences 
it  did  not  seem  likely  I  should  be  out  of  bed,  let  alone 
out  of  doors,  in  time ;  and  it  seemed  as  if  God  were 
intending  to  say  '  No  ! '  to  my  coming.  However,  I 
was  mistaken  in  that  !  I  wish  I  had  your  and  my 
sister's  gift — because  I  know  I  must  disappoint  you  and 
all  who  know  me  as  F.  R.  H.  Gifts  do  differ — and  mine 
is  not  addresses.  Still  I  will  just  simply  try  to  say  what- 
ever God  may  give  me  at  the  time.  I  feel  too  done  up 
somehow  to  prepare  properly — I  tried  and  could  not ! 
So  must  just  leave  it  and  ask  God  to  use  a  weak  thing, 
and  you  will  ask  too  for  blessing,  in  spite  of  my  in- 
capacity. 


{^Memorandum  by  M.  V.  G.  H.) 

My  dear  sister  Frances  went  to  Swansea  on  Thurs- 
day, 17th.  I  sent  our  good  maid  M.  Farrington 
with  her,  as  she  did  not  wish  me  to  go ;  she  says 
that  on  the  way  Miss  Frances  talked  so  humbly,  and 
that  she  'felt  as  if  she  had  no  right  to  go  teaching 
others  —  such  a  sinner  as  I  am ;  but  then  Mary,  I 
am  just  trusting  for  every  word.'  The  room  was 
quite  full.  Mrs.  Morgan,  not  knowing  F.'s  subject,  had 
chosen  a  hymn  that  did  not  suit  it,  and  my  sister  always 
thought  it  important  that  hymns  should  be  suitably 
chosen.  As  her  subject  for  the  evening  was  from  Hos. 
iii.,     'I    also    for    thee,'    (See    Starlight    through    the 


LETTERS,  1 876- 1 879.  327 

Shadows)^  F.  said  she  wished  to  sing  *  Precious  Saviour, 
may  I  live,  only  for  Thee.'  Mrs.  Morgan  said  they 
did  not  know  her  tune  to  it  ('Onesimus,'  S.  G.  G.  257.) 
F.  :  '  No  fear  !  Do  let  me  just  sing  one  verse  alone,  and 
I  know  they  will  join.'  Going  to  the  piano  and  turning 
her  face  to  them,  she  sang  with  her  own  bright  ringing 
cheeriness  one  verse,  and  then  all  joined  most  heartily 
with  her.  Mary  told  me  of  my  sister's  soft  pleading  voice 
— that  her  words  were  intensely  tender  and  entreating. 
At  the  close  of  the  meeting,  my  sister  gave  to  each  one  a 
card  with  her  Consecration  hymn,  '  Take  my  life  and  let 
it  be  Consecrated,  Lord,  to  Thee,'  specially  prepared  and 
printed  for  this  evening  (Messrs.  Parlane,  Paisley,  still 
supply  them).  Her  own  name  was  omitted,  and  a  blank 
space  left  for  signature.  As  she  gave  the  cards,  she 
asked  them  to  make  that  hymn  a  test  before  God,  and 
if  they  could  really  do  so,  to  sign  it  on  their  knees  at 
home.  Then  the  hymn  was  sung  to  our  dear  father's 
tune  'Patmos'(No.  145,  S.  G.  G.)> 

It  seems  to  have  been  a  great  night  of  decision  to 
many  present.  The  next  morning,  before  ever  her 
breakfast  was  finished,  one  and  another  came  for  con- 
versation with  my  dear  sister — a  French  governess  was 
specially  impressed.  My  sister  returned  very  much 
exhausted  —  meetings  seemed  to  take  away  her  little 
physical  strength,  and  yet  she  always  cheerfully  took  up 
any  work  for  her  King. 

This  tune  was  invariably  sung  by  my  sister  to  her  words,  and  it 
certainly  grieves  us  that  such  a  very  mournful  unsuitable  tune  is 
substituted  for  it  in  Sankey's  Solos. — Messrs.  Parlane,  Paisley,  supply 
this  and  many  others  of  F,  R.  H's.  (nvn  tunes,  as  also  the  only  correct 
version  of  *  Tell  it  out,' 


528 


LETTERS,  1876-1879. 


(7  4,  7  4,  D.; 


ONESIMUS. 


F.  R.  H. 


:S= 


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r 


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Pre  -  cious    Sav  -  iour,  may    I 


live 


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I  I 


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rn. 


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I 


V    J.   A 


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Spend  the    pow  -  ers    Thou    dost 
III,. 


give 


On 


ly         for     Thee 


-(9-  ~         -Ci^ 


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J     J     J- 


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Be      my      spir  -  it's     deep    de   -    sire 


On 


^- 


I 
for     Thee ! 

--! i- 


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:^=:3t: 


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^     :?L-    J. 


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May  my    in  -  tel  -  lect    a  -  spire         On  -  ly     for    Thee  ! 


(To  S.  G,  P.) 

May  1879. 
I  will  tell  you  the  worst  first !     It's  all  up  about  Mr. 
Sankey   singing    '  Loving  all  along '   in  England.       He 
has  asthn:!a  or  something  worse ;  is  forbidden  to  sing  at 


LETTERS,  1876-1879.  329 


all ;  is  giving  up  all  his  engagements  here,  and  going 
back  to  America  next  month.  So  he  only  tinkles  on 
the  piano.  Then  the  very  day  he  came,  I  started  a 
feverish  attack  which  threatened  to  get  serious,  but  merci- 
fully is  diminishing  this  morning ;  but  when  I  shall  be  able 
to  sing  again  I  don't  know  !  as  I  am  in  bed  of  course. 
However,  I  did  sing  *  Loving  all  along '  directly  he 
came,  as  I  knew  I  might  get  no  other  chance,  though  it 
was  a  poor  chance  enough  to  sing  it  with  a  splitting 
headache  and  an  icy  chill  down  my  spine.  And  the 
first  thing  Sankey  said  was  that  *  it  wouldn't  do  for 
America  at  all '  !  because  '  Tramp,  tramp  '  is  their  most 
popular  war  song,  and  it  would  never  do  for  him  to 
sing  it ! 

Now  for  the  other  side. 

Next  morning  he  said,  '  That  song  of  yours  abides  with 
me,  that  big  one  !  I  woke  up  with  it.  There's  two  or 
three  points  that  haunt  me.'  '  That's  all  right,'  said  I, 
'  for  /woke  up  with  a  way  out  of  the  American  difficulty. 
"  Far,  far  on  the  downward  way,"  etc.,  instead  of 
"  Tramp,"  if  the  author  does  not  object.'  Then  he 
looked  very  serious  (which  he  generally  does  not),  and 
said,  *  It's  my  belief  that  song  has  got  to  go.  And  that 
/'//  have  to  sing  it !  It's  kind  of  taken  a  hold  of  me ' ! 
So  then  we  looked  carefully  through  the  song,  for  as  I 
have  not  heard  him  sing,  I  could  not  tell  if  it  would 
suit  his  voice,  and  was  ready  to  alter  and  carve  as  much 
as  he  liked,  but  oh,  dear  no,  he  would  not  have  a  single 
note  touched.  I  was  ^  just  to  go  right  ahead^  and  write 
it  out  for  press,  exactly  as  it  stood. 

I  hope  you  won't  feel  it  needful  to  give  thanks  under 
protest  for   the   answer   to   your   prayer  under  protest ! 


330  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 


The  Baroness  von  Cramm  is  extremely  struck  with  the 
music,  which  she  says  is  '  so  dramatic  and  so  beautiful,' 
and  I  know  you  won't  be  sorry  to  hear  this !  All  the 
same,  I  do  not  think  the  song  will  be  popular,  because 
it  is  just  one  of  those  which  is  utterly  ruined  if  stumbled 
over,  or  even  if  well  played  by  one  who  does  not  dash 
off  the  recitative-like  style  with  real  spirit,  and  bring 
out  the  sharp  contrasts  which  give  effect.  But  if  no- 
body else  ever  sings  it  but  Sankey  and  the  Baroness  in 
their  different  spheres,  those  two  are  worth  thousands 
of  ordinary  singers,  and  if  not  a  copy  sells,  the  two 
copies  that  go  to  them,  may  do  more  real  work  for  God 
than  a  dozen  editions.  So  we  will  tha7ik  God  and  take 
courage.  Besides,  though  I  cannot  sing  like  them,  I 
know  I  can  make  some  listen  to  ''Loving — all  along /^ 
and  perhaps  God  will  give  me  a  little  fruit  thereby  besides 
what  they  will  get. 

I  go  off  to  Ireland  on  my  mission  station  tour  on 
June  4  {D.  v.).  Have  been  '  marvellously  helped '  in 
total  abstinence  work  here,  and  got  120  to  sign  in  this 
little  village  of  Newton — at  least,  chiefly  in  the  village 
and  a  few  around — mostly  children,  but  it  is  spreading 
upwards.  I  am  quite  astonished  at  what  God  has 
wrought.  I  never  dreamt  of  asking  for  so  many  as  He 
has  given  me  for  my  '  Newton  Temperance.' 


{F.  R.  H.toC,  H.  Purday.) 

May  I,  1879. 
Glad  it  is  all  straight  now  for  Nisbet !     Shall  leave 
form  and  style  and  everything  to  you  and  Mr.  N. 


LETTERS,  1876-1S79.  331 

Thanks,  I  rarely  have  anything  the  matter  with  me 
except  what  arises  from  over-pressure.  God  has  given 
me  an  exceptionally  healthy  set  of  organs,  so  all  doctors 
tell  me,  only  they  add,  '  Your  physique  is  not  equal  to 
the  brain  and  nerves.'  '  If  you  could  live  as  an  oyster, 
you  might  be  a  little  Hercules,'  said  one  to  me  !  But  / 
cannot  live  as  an  oyster  !  I  have  always  more  to  write 
and  do  and  talk  and  attend  to  than  I  can  get  through 
in  the  day  without  just  so  much  fatigue  and  pressure  as 
keeps  me  nearly  always  more  or  less  suffering  or  exhausted. 
It  is  the  little  things  that  do  it — 'only  just'  this  note 
and  that  letter,  and  the  other  ten  minutes'  interview, 
and  so  on — all  day  long !  And  I  cannot  live  near  a 
poor  village  (Newton  Mumbles)  and  not  get  doing  any- 
thing for  the  people — and  one  thing  always  involves  and 
leads  on  to  another,  and  the  very  success  that  God  gives 
to  really  everything  I  put  my  hand  to,  wears  me  out. 
A  special  branch  of  work  for  the  Irish  Society,  which  I 
started  only  two  years  ago,  thinking  merely  to  have  about 
a  dozen  juvenile  collectors  in  tow,  forthwith  grew,  so 
that  there  are  now  more  than  100,  all  in  my  own  hands, 
and  this  will  ere  long  be  multiplied  and  be  kept  organ- 
ized with  lots  of  other  things  growing  out  of  it.  I  only 
name  this  as  one  out  of  many  similar  gtvwihs^  and  your 
kind  interest  deserved  an  explanation  of  the  state  of  things 
once  for  all !  Then  every  time  I  pay  a  visit,  I  always 
get  a  whole  following  of  fresh  friends,  and  readers  and 
correspondents  !  I  can't  imagine  whereinto  it  will  grow  ! 
And  sometimes  I  look  longingly  to  the  land  that  is  very 
far  away  just  for  rest. 


332  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

The  Mumbles,  May  9,  1879. 

I  leave  this  {D.  V.)  on  June  4.  Then  for  tvv^o  months 
I  shall  be  touring  about  the  Irish  Society  Mission  stations, 
with  a  few  visits  to  friends  near  Dublin  at  the  end.  Of 
course,  it  would  be  very  inconvenient  to  have  proofs 
pursuing  one  on  a  carpet-bag  tour  in  the  backwoods, 
but  equally  of  course  they  cannot  stop  altogether,  so 
I  will  get  the  Society  to  keep  forwarding  them  from 
headquarters. 

I  have  just  finished  a  little  book  for  children,  Morning 
Stars ;  or^  the  Names  of  Christ  for  His  Little  Ones. 
Please  say  truly  whether  your  hands  are  so  full,  that  if 
y^ou  were  to  read  over  my  little  book,  it  would  cause  you 
[iny  extra  trouble ;  for  in  that  case  I  would  forego  the 
advantage  sooner  than  you  should  be  burdened.  It  is 
just  a  size  larger  than  the  Bells  and  Pillows. 

I  have  had  it  much  on  my  mind  to  write  something 
for  children.  It  seems  time  I  gave  them  a  turn,  but  I 
was  waiting  for  my  orders  ! 

I  think  my  sister  is  as  grateful  as  I  am  to  you,  for  the 
way  in  which  you  have  saved  me  fatigue. 


The  Mumbles,  May  1879. 
Dear  Mr.  Watson, — You  did  not  answer  one  part  of 
my  question,  whether  I  should  print  the  enclosed  little 
book  with  the  Kept  for  the  Mastet^s  Use,  as  it  is  all 
part  of  the  same  subject?  I  should  be  glad  to  know 
what  you  think,  because  it  will  make  a  little  difference 
in  my  rewriting  the  first  chapter  of  Kept  whether  I  in- 
clude /  also  for  Thee  in  the  same  little  volume  or  not. 
If  I  do  include  it,  I  shall  of  course  alter  the  opening, 


LETTERS,  1 876 -1 879.  333 

rewriting  it  so  as  to  fit  on  to  the  other  and  complete  it. 
I  should  rather  prefer  thus  putting  the  two  into  one,  for 
the  sake  of  getting  greater  completeness  of  the  subject ; 
but  if  you  see  any  objection,  I  will  not  do  so.  Of 
course,  I  can  easily  do  it  at  once,  and  have  it  out  for 
Easter  j  but  would  you  like  to  risk  my  having  nothing 
but  the  invalid  book  for  October?  Had  I  not  better 
wait?  I'll  tell  you  just  how  it  is.  I  have  been  very 
unhappy  since  I  left  you  about  the  whole  thing,  and  I 
don't  think  I  have  got  any  real  commission  to  write 
anything  at  all  for  next  season  except  the  invalid  book. 
You  see,  I  found  I  was  looking  at  it  all  in  a  different 
light,  thinking  rather  of  what  would  be  most  successful, 
and  keep  up  the  run,  than  simply  and  only,  '  Lord,  what 
wilt  Thoti  have  me  to  do  ? '  And  it  won't  be  the  least  use 
my  attempting  to  write  to  any  purpose  if  that  element 
comes  in,  and  I  simply  dare  not  \yrite  at  all  if  I  find  it 
there.  It  is  a  totally  different  thing  with  you.  I  quite 
see  all  you  said,  but  then  God  has  given  you  a  definite 
calling,  and  therefore  it  is  your  duty  before  Him  to 
fulfil  it  from  a  business  point  of  view,  but  He  has  not 
given  me  any  duty  of  the  sort  at  all,  and  I  believe  I  am 
going  off  the  lines  of  my  especial  calling  altogether  if 
once  I  begin  thinking  of  it  as  a  matter  of  business  and 
success  and  cheques  and  all  that,  and  I  can't  expect 
the  same  blessing  in  it.  And  so,  though  of  course  it 
stands  to  reason  that  the  invalid  book  must  have  a  very 
limited  circulation  compared  to  the  others,  I  shall  be 
much  happier  doing  that,  and  I  believe  I  shall  have 
more  real,  i.e.  spiritual,  results  from  it  than  if  I  set  my- 
self to  do  those  I  subsequently  thought  of,  because  I  do 
think  God  gave  me  the  thought  and  the  wish  to  do  the 


334  LETTERS,  1876-1879. 

one,  whereas  the  thought  of  doing  the  others  this  season 
seemed  to  me  to  arise  rather  out  of  having  got  that  big 
cheque.  No  one  can  be  more  delighted  than  I  am  to 
get  those  same  cheques ;  but  so  far  as  I  know  myself, 
I  have  never  yet  taken  them  into  consideration  when 
thinking  of  writing  any  one  of  my  little  books,  and  find- 
ing myself  doing  so,  made  me  just  miserable.  I  don't 
know  if  I  have  explained  myself,  only  I  have  felt  so  very 
strongly  and  sweetly  hitherto  that  my  pen  was  to  be  used 
only  for  the  Master,  that  I  am  very  fearful  of  getting 
the  least  out  of  the  course  in  which  I  have  felt  His 
blessing. 

The  upshot  is,  I  don't  think  I  shall  write  any  general 
book  for  October,  nothing  but  Starlight  through  the 
Shadows,  and  possibly  one  or  a  pair  of  books  for  chil- 
dren ;  and  this  being  the  case,  had  I  not  better  reserve 
Kept  to  come  out  along  with  Starlight  1  Then  I  should 
still  have  a  pair  of  books  apparently,  though  not  really 
a  pair.  I  did  not  mean  to  tell  you  all  this,  but  if  I  did 
not,  you  might  think  I  was  fickle  and  perhaps  idle,  and 
that  it  was  no  good  giving  me  advice.  I  hope  you  won't 
be  vexed  and  disappointed  with  me;  you  don't  know 
how  really  grateful  I  feel  for  all  you  have  said  and  done. 

Will  you  tell  dear  Katie  that  if  she  has  not  already 
sent  the  photographs  to  Winterdyne,  I  should  be  glad  if 
she  will  address  them  to  Elm  Row  instead  ?  How  glad 
I  should  be  if  the  reports  of  you  were  better. — Yours 
affectionately  and  gratefully. 


[This  was  one  of  F.  R.  H.'s  last  letters.     She  passed 
into  the  presence  of  her  King,  June  3,  1879.] 


APPENDIX. 


33S 


APPENDIX. 


THE  APPROACHING  MISSION  SERVICES, 
BY  F.  R.  H.i 

EDITED    BY   A.    W.    THOROLD,  D.D.,  LORD    BISHOP 
OF    ROCHESTER. 

A  Week  of  Special  Mission  Services  is  proposed. 
The  movement,  which  has  spread  so  rapidly  in  all  parts 
of  the  kingdom,  has  reached  your  own  doors.  Energetic 
preparation  is  being  made,  earnest  prayer  is  being  offered, 
and  warm  expectation  is  already  awake. 

What  is  it  all  about?  Why  do  people  talk  of  'ex- 
pectation '  ?  Why  should  clergymen  give  themselves  so 
much  trouble?  And  how  will  it  affect  the  readers  of 
this  paper  ? 

We  will  answer  the  last  question  first,  and  say  to  every 
one  who  reads  this  :  Perhaps  it  will  affect  you  for  ever  and 
ever  and  ever !  Perhaps,  ere  that  week  closes,  you,  who 
know  and  love  the  Lord  Jesus,  will  be  sealed  anew  with 
a  fresh  baptism  of  the  Spirit,  blessed  with  richer  mani- 
festations of  Christ's  presence  and  love,  filled  with  deeper 
joy,   and    stirred  up   to   holier   zeal   and   more   single- 

*  Re-issued  as  Leaflet.     Messrs.  Nisbet  &  Co. 
Y 


338  APPENDIX. 


hearted  devotedness  than  ever  before.  Perhaps,  ere 
that  week  closes,  you,  who  earnestly  desire  to  be  saved, 
and  yet  have  never  dared  to  lay  hold  of  Christ's  full 
and  free  salvation,  will  be  rejoicing  '  with  joy  unspeak- 
able and  full  of  glory.'  Perhaps,  ere  that  week  closes, 
you  who  have  *  no  hope,  and  are  without  God  in  the 
world,'  will  be  made  *new  creatures'  altogether,  will 
know  the  terrible  danger  in  which  you  have  been  living, 
and  the  hitherto  unguessed  joy  of  having  a  '  sure  and 
certain  hope,'  and  an  Everlasting  Friend  to  love  and 
lean  upon.  Such  are  the  effects  which  we  hope  for,  pray 
for,  and  expect. 

It  is  a  thrillingly  grand  and  glorious  thing  to  stand 
on  the  eve  of  such  a  season,  looking  forward  to  such 
blessings,  and  to  an  actual  share  in  them.  It  is  a 
thrillingly  solemn  and  awful  thing  to  remember  that  one 
may  be  taken  and  another  left ;  that  a  day  of  doom  may 
follow  close  upon  a  day  of  grace,  and  that  if  the  bless- 
ing is  despised  or  neglected  by  any  heart,  that  heart  may 
be  left  dry,  dead,  untouched,  while  showers  of  blessing 
fall  on  all  around. 

But  WHAT  IS  A  MISSION  WEEK?  It  is  a  mcans  of 
grace  which,  more  than  any  other  of  late  years,  God 
appears  to  have  used  for  the  conversion  of  sinners,  and 
the  raising  of  His  own  people  to  a  higher,  holier,  and 
happier  life. 

Many  important  towns  have  followed  this  plan.  The 
whole  week  is  set  apart  for  one  object.  Special  ser- 
vices, not  long,  but  intensely  fervent,  are  held  in  every 
church  every  day;  the  usual  order  of  services  being 
shortened,   and    earnest,   striking    addresses    given  by 


APPENDIX.  339 


special  preachers,  specially  qualified  for  this  work. 
These  are  preceded  and  followed  by  meetings  for  prayer 
— for  pleading  and  wrestling  with  God  for  His  blessing, 
and  the  outpouring  of  His  Spirit  Arrangements  are 
made  to  bring  the  glad  tidings  to  those  who  will  not 
come  to  any  place  of  w^orship,  and  to  those  who  cannot 
attend  the  special  Church  Services.  Meetings  and 
addresses  are  planned  for  all  classes — rich  as  well  as 
poor.  Short  addresses  are  given  in  factories,  workshops, 
and  railway  sheds ;  gatherings  of  different  callings  and 
classes  are  held ;  cabmen,  policemen,  servants,  young 
shopmen  and  shopwomen,  poor  mothers,  young  ladies 
in  boarding-schools,  gentlemen  in  business — all  are  con- 
sidered and  arranged  for. 

It  may  not  be  advisable  to  mention  names,  but  we 
could  tell  of  many  places  where  great  and  abiding  bless- 
ing has  rested  upon  the  Mission  Week.  In  one  small 
town,  the  number  of  those  who  were  not  merely  im- 
pressed at  the  time,  but  have  become  decided  and 
steady  Christians,  is  estimated  at  1200!  In  a  manu- 
facturing town,  the  numbers  added  to  the  church  in 
one  parish  were  so  great,  that  the  Incumbent  had  to 
procure  an  additional  Curate,  on  purpose  to  take  up  the 
work  arising  out  of  the  Mission  Week !  In  another,  it 
was  the  working  men  who  seemed  to  obtain  the  greatest 
blessing ;  and  such  congregations  of  these  have  perhaps 
never  been  seen  as  in  a  large  church  in  that  town  on 
the  Sunday  evenings  after  the  Mission  Week.  In  the 
same  place,  the  railway  men,  to  whom  short  daily 
addresses  had  been  given,  have  requested  the  Vicar  to 
continue  them  regularly ;  and  the  results  have  been  such 
as  no  scoffers  could  ignore  or  explain  away. 


340  APPENDIX. 


It  has  been  remarked  that  the  greatest  blessing,  m 
nearly  every  place,  has  been  among  those  who  have 
already  had  serious  impressions,  and  in  whom  the  soil 
was  in  some  degree  prepared,  rather  than  among  such 
as  have  had  no  previous  care  or  thought  about  their 
souls.  Is  not  this  a  very  important  note  of  encourage- 
ment and  of  warning  ?  To  those  who  are  seeking  Jesus, 
but  have  not  found  Him,  it  gives  encouragement  to 
pray  very  earnestly  that  this  coming  Mission  Week  may 
be  the  great  turning-point  of  their  lives,  and  the  coming 
out  of  doubt  and  darkness  and  indecision  into  *  mar- 
vellous light '  and  '  glorious  liberty.'  To  those  who 
care  for  none  of  these  things,  it  gives  a  warning,  lest 
this  great  opportunity  should  only  add  to  their  con- 
demnation? if  they  refuse  to  '  prepare  their  hearts  to 
seek  God.' 

Our  God  may  work  above  reason,  but  He  does  not 
work  against  reason.     So  we  may  fairly  ask,  Why  should 

WE    EXPECT     GREAT     THINGS     FROM     A    MISSION    WeEK  ? 

And  the  answer  is  no  mystery,  to  those  who  know  the 
secrets  and  the  power  of  prayer.  For  months  before- 
hand, many  faithful  hearts  have  been  pleading,  constantly 
and  intensely,  for  a  blessing.  As  the  time  approaches, 
more  and  more  are  stirred  up  to  join  in  these  prayers. 
Their  fervency  and  earnestness  deepen  day  by  day,  till 
at  last  one  great  cry  is  ascending  day  and  night,  unheard 
by  the  sleeping  souls  around,  but  strong  and  loud  in 
'  the  ears  of  the  Lord  God  of  Sabaoth.'  How  is  this  ? 
Do  our  own  evil  hearts  prompt  to  such  prayer  ?  Does 
Satan  set  us  praying  ?  How  else  can  it  arise,  but  from 
the   promptings   of  the   Holy  Spirit?      The  God  in 


APPENDIX.  341 


whose  hand  the  blessing  is  hid,  waiting  to  be  gracious, 
pours  out  *  the  spirit  of  grace  and  of  supplication  '  upon 
His  people,  because  'He  will  be  inquired  of  for  the 
good  things  which  He  purposes  to  give.  And  the 
coming  shower  of  blessing,  of  which  this  spirit  of  prayer  is 
the  earnest,  will  be  all  the  sweeter  and  more  powerful 
for  being  thus,  as  it  were,  drawn  down  by  their  prayers. 

*  He  that  watereth  shall  be  watered ; '  and  it  seems 
that  these  prayers  for  those  around  generally  receive  a 
double  answer,  returning  in  a  wonderful  gladness, — a 
very  reaping-time  of  joy,  upon  the  hearts  of  those  who 
have  been,  it  may  be,  sowing  these  supplications  in  tears. 
Let  no  Christian  heart  lose  its  share  in  the  blessing,  by 
neglecting  or  delaying  to  join  in  the  prayer.  Let  every 
one  resolve  at  once,  by  God's  help,  to  make  it  a  subject 
of  daily  prayer  during  the  coming  weeks  of  anticipation. 

But    WHY    DO   THE    CLERGY  TAKE   ALL   THIS   TROUBLE  ? 

They  are  not  paid  for  it ;  they  will  get  nothing  by  it ; 
they  will  only  be  wearied  and  worn  out,  after  days  of 
work,  and  perhaps  night-hours  of  prayer.  Why  ?  It  is 
because  they  love  the  people  around  them,  and  because 
they  believe  that  God  means  what  He  says,  when  He 
speaks  in  His  Word,  of  sin,  death,  judgment,  eternity, 
and  of  pardon,  Hfe,  salvation,  and  glory.  Months  of 
prayer  and  preparation,  and  a  week  of  labour  to  the 
utmost,  are  a  very  small  thing  to  those  whose  whole  lives 
are  being  spent  for  their  people,  and  who  know  that  in 
a  few  years  every  soul  under  their  care  will  be  in  heaven 
or  in  hell. 

If  so,  shall  it  be  a  great  thing  to  those  for  whom  they 
toil,  to  give  a  few  hours  to  the  affairs  of  millions  of 


342  APPENDIX. 


years  beyond  imagination  ?  What  does  it  matter  about 
any  business  or  engagement  in  comparison  ?  *  What 
shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose 
his  own  soul  ? ' 

The  Mission  Week  will  be  a  golden  opportunity; 
perhaps  the  very  last  for  some  who  read  this.  Loving 
voices  will  say  to  you,  '  Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by  ! 
Rise !  He  calleth  thee ! '  Oh,  will  you  not  come  to 
Him,  that  you  may  have  hfe  ? 

A  word  with  those  who  talk  about  *  excitement,'  or 
who  throw  cold  water  on  that  zeal  for  God,  which  one 
longs  to  see  kindled  in  every  heart.  Do  any  perish 
through  religious  excitement?  But  are  not  thousands 
perishing  of  religious  apathy  ? 

There  is  much  foolish  parrot-talk  about  this,  by  per- 
sons who,  having  no  real  means  or  power  of  forming 
an  opinion  of  their  own,  catch  up  clap-trap  phrases  of 
irreligious  cant  (and  for  every  phrase  of  religious,  there 
are  ten  of  /^religious  cant !)  and  talk  grandly  about  the 
'  danger  of  excitement.'  What  is  the  danger  of  it  ? 
Confessedly  this,  that  if  the  feelings  are  touched  and 
excited,  without  real  change  of  heart,  they  lapse  into 
greater  coldness  and  deadness  than  before.  Then  the 
danger  obviously  is — not  of  going  too  far,  but  of  not 
going  far  enough  !  None  are  so  illogical  as  those  who 
try  to  argue  with  God.  See  to  it,  you  who  would  hinder 
others  by  talk  about  the  danger  of  '  excitement,'  but 
shut  your  eyes  to  the  danger  of  death  and  hell, — see  to 
it  that  God  does  not  take  you  at  your  word,  and  leave 
you,  untouched  by  'excitement  of  feeling,'  cool  and 
easy,  outside  the  gate,  while  others  are  entering  in. 
What  will  you  feel,  when  the  last  hour  has  struck  for 


APPENDIX,  343 

you,  when  the  door  is  shut,  and  you  are  outside,  left  to 
*  the  blackness  of  darkness  for  ever '  ?  Will  there  be 
no  *  excitement '  in  the  moment  of  that  discovery,  think 
you? 

But  some  real  Christians  look  a  little  doubtfully  upon 
new  efforts,  and  hold  aloof,  and  do  not  see  why  ordinary 
means  should  not  be  sufficient.  Have  they  proved  all- 
sufficient  ?  Do  they  reach  all  the  unconverted  ?  And 
if  not,  why  not  try  other  means,  in  the  spirit  of  our 
Heavenly  Father,  who  doth  ^devise  means  that  His 
banished  be  not  expelled  from  Him;'  in  the  spirit  of 
our  Master,  who  said,  '  Go  ye  out  into  the  highways  and 
hedges,  and  compel  them  to  come  in  j '  in  the  spirit  of 
His  follower,  who  said,  '  If  by  any  means  I  might  save 
some.'  Let  us  not,  then,  hinder  the  Gospel  of  Christ 
by  our  chilling  half-heartedness. 

While  prapng  for  *  showers  of  blessing '  upon  our 
country  and  our  Church,  surely  it  will  be  both  right  and 
pleasant  that  Christians  should  join  their  pastor  in  seek- 
ing and  expecting  a  special  blessing  on  their  own  parish. 
God's  order  appears  to  be,  *  The  more  prayer,  the  more 
blessing.' 

Again,  the  approaching  Mission  Week  seems  a  new 
call  to  pray  for  our  own  home  circles,  that  if  any  who 
are  near  and  dear  to  us  are  not  yet  *  on  the  Lord's  side,' 
they  may  then  be  brought  to  Christ,  and  thenceforth 
live  unto  Him.  And,  drawing  the  circle  still  closer, 
shall  we  not  each,  whatever  be  our  state  or  need,  what- 
ever be  our  age  or  position,  seek  a  personal  blessing 
upon  our  own  souls  ?  '  Bless  me,  even  me  also,  O  my 
Father  I' 


344 


APPENDIX. 


'aEtll  2^  not  come?' 


Words  and  Music  by 
F.  R.  Havergal. 


rrifiWnT 


i^^^^ 


u 


I. 


-g- 

1 

— ?-^ — 

-Jh 

-H-j  ji  1   J  J 

-^H- 

=11 

1 
1 

X 

1    1    iJ.  J.JJ 

1 

— H 

r- 

-e 

=ip_^ 

1  c:^.  •■ 

=zll 

Refrain,  \ 
after  any  f 
or  each  T 
verse.       ) 


Will  ye  not  come  to  Him  for  life  ? 

Why  will  ye  die,  oh  why  ? 
He  gave  His  life  for  you,  for  you  I 
The  gift  is  free,  the  word  is  true  ! 
Will  ye  not  come  ?     Oh,  why  will  ye  die  ? 
Will  ye  not  come  ?    Will  ye  not  come, 
Will  ye  not  come  to  Him,  to  Him  ? 
Oh,  come,  come,  come  to  Him  ! 
Come  unto  Jesus,  oh,  come  for  life. 


APPENDIX,  345 

Will  ye  not  come  to  Him  for  peace^ 

Peace  through  His  cross  alone? 
He  shed  His  precious  blood  for  you ; 
The  gift  is  free,  the  word  is  tme  ! 
He  is  our  Peace — Oh,  is  He  your  own  ? 

Will  yet  not  come,  etc.  .  .  for  peace? 

Will  ye  not  come  to  Him  for  rest  ? 

All  that  are  weary,  come  : 
The  rest  He  gives  is  deep  and  true, 
'Tis  offered  now,  'tis  offered  you  : 
Rest  in  His  love,  and  rest  in  His  home. 

Will  ye  not  come,  etc.  ...  for  rest  ? 

Will  ye  not  come  to  Him  iox  joy  ? 

Will  ye  not  come  for  this  ? 
He  laid  His  joys  aside  for  you, 
To  give  you  joy,  so  sweet,  so  true : 
Sorrowing  heart,  oh,  drink  of  the  bliss  ! 

Will  ye  not  come,  etc.  .  .  .  iox  joy  f 

Will  ye  not  come  to  Him  for  love^ 

Love  that  can  fill  the  heart  ? 
Exceeding  great,  exceeding  free  I 
He  loveth  you.  He  loveth  me  ! 
Will  ye  not  come?     Why  stand  ye  apart? 

Will  ye  not  come,  etc.  ...  for  love? 

Will  ye  not  come  to  Him  for  all? 

Will  ye  not  *  taste  and  see  ? ' 
He  waits  to  give  it  all  to  you, 
The  gifts  are  free,  the  words  are  true  : 
Jesus  hath  said  it,  '  Come  unto  Me  ! ' 

Will  ye  not  come,  etc.  ...  to  Him? 

In  compliance  with  a  request  from  Sankey  for  a  Gospel 
Musical  Call,  my  dear  sister  F.  R.  H.  wrote  these  lines 
at  Winterdyne,  December  21,  1873.  The  same  morning, 
I  met  her  with  the  MS.  in  her  hand,  toiling  up  to  the 
Wyre  Hill  schoolroom.  She  said,  '  Maria,  will  the  chil- 
dren be  out  of  school  ? '     *  Yes.'     *  Then  I  shall  lock 


346 


APPENDIX, 


myself  in  and  fancy  the  room  full  for  a  mission  service  ! 
I  have  been  praying  that  the  music  may  he  sent  me,  to  fit 
His  message,  '  Will  ye  not  come  ? ' 

Soon  I  heard  these  chords  on  the  harmonium  and  her 
ringing  voice.  She  called  the  tune  *  Lucius,'  and  often 
sang  it  with  pleading  tenderness  at  mission  and  other 
meetings. 

Thus  in  poetry,  in  prose,  in  music,  in  life,  and  in 
death,  her  silver  refrain  was,  *  Will  ye  not  comeV 

'Still  shall  the  key-word,  ringing,  echo  the  same  sweet  "  ComeP* 
Come  with  the  blessed  myriads  safe  in  the  Father's  home ; 
Come — for  the  work  is  over  ;  Come — for  the  feast  is  spread  ; 
Come — for  the  crown  of  glory  waits  for  the  weary  head.' 

Maria  V.  G.  Havergal. 


Leaflet,  Parlane,  Paisley. 


Eell  it  out ! ' 


Words  and  Music  by 
Frances  Ridley  Havergal. 


^^^^ 


out     among    the     heathen   that  the    Lord 

J  ^     ^   J  :^  ^    J. 


is      King  I    Tell     It 


J-J. 


^^h^« 


out!     .        .      Tell  it 
Tell    it    outl    . 


^^iM 


Tell    it     out   among  the  nations,  bid  them 


^ 


W: 


3^ 


E^^^Oi 


out  I      .  .  .  .        Tell    it  out  1    Tell    it     out !        Tell   it   out  1        bid  them 

1  This  is  F.  R.  H.'s  own  arrangement — that  given  in  the  Christian  Choir  is 
incorrect.  M.  V.  G.  H. 


APPENDIX. 


347 


I  w        '^        \  \^  ^    ^       ^         FINE.U         > 

shout   and     singl     TeU      It       out  I    .  .  .     TeU      It        out  I  TeU      it 

TeU      it     out:   TeU      it        out  I  TeU      it 


^..^^    ^-^  ^- 


t^u   I     I     I     t*  ^   u  i^  U 

out !     .       .        .       .     that  He  shall  Increase ;  That  the  mighty  King  of      Glory     is   the 
out  with  a  -  do  •  ra-tion  that  He  shall  increase ;  That  the 


; ;  ip  r  p-e-^lT^^^TTT 


that  He  shaU  increase  1  That  the 


^  fei  /:  ^^J"  ^  N  k  ^  ■  I   I     I     I 


^ 


King  of    Peace;  TeU  it      out  withju-bi  ■  lation  though  the  waves  may  roar,  That  Ho 


1      .        .          ;    .^      ^     js 

N  •' 

N 

=5^ 

— K- 

I           .    D.S. 

-iqr^l'-gri 

sitteth        on      the       water    •   floods, 

k                   w      s      1^      f^ 

-^H-i«— • 2 * « m~- 

our    King 

N    ^ 

for 

er  • 

more!    TeU       it 

-;   gT  g->  ^  > 

•t- 

->— 



=F«=^g^ 

Tell  it  out  among  the  heathen  that  the  Saviour  reigns  ! 

TeU  it  out !  Tell  it  out ! 
Tell  it  out  among  the  nations,  bid  them  burst  their  chains. 

Tell  it  out !  Tell  it  out  I 


348  APPENDIX, 

Tell  it  out  among  the  weeping  ones  that  Jesus  lives  ; 

Tell  it  out  among  the  weary  ones  what  rest  He  gives ; 

Tell  it  out  among  the  sinners  that  He  came  to  save  ; 

Tell  it  out  among  the  dying  that  He  triumphed  o'er  the  grave. 

Tell  it  out  among  the  heathen  Jesus  reigns  above  ! 

Tell  it  out !  Tell  it  out ! 
Tell  it  out  among  the  nations  that  His  reign  is  love  ! 

Tell  it  out !  Tell  it  out ! 
Tell  it  out  among  the  highways  and  the  lanes  at  home ; 
Let  it  ring  across  the  mountains  and  the  ocean  foam  ! 
Like  the  sound  of  many  waters  let  our  glad  shout  be, 
Till  it  echo  and  re-echo  from  the  islands  of  the  sea  ! 


MORRISON  AND  GIBB,  EDINBURGH, 
PRINTERS  TO   HER  MAJESTY'S  STATIONERY   OFFICE. 


/ 


.N.^ 


<=^?#/^ 


